


Truth in the Heart

by Higgies230



Category: The Walking Dead (TV)
Genre: Abuse, Alternate Universe - High School, Angst with a Happy Ending, Artist Daryl Dixon, F/M, Insecure Daryl Dixon, Protective Rick Grimes, Shy Daryl Dixon
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-03-20
Updated: 2021-01-14
Packaged: 2021-03-01 03:28:35
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 16
Words: 24,680
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23228632
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Higgies230/pseuds/Higgies230
Summary: A high school AU where Daryl has feelings for Connie, beautiful, smart and fierce but knows that he couldn't have a chance. When they get paired together for a project he'll make the most of it.Connie has had a long time crush on the mysterious Daryl Dixon, it only gets worse as she learns what a big heart he has, especially after everything the world has thrown at him.
Relationships: Connie/Daryl Dixon, Daryl Dixon & Rick Grimes
Comments: 148
Kudos: 163





	1. English Project

Daryl pulled at the strap on his backpack as it rubbed against the broken skin left by his father’s belt the night before. Really, he could be doing without school but he had gotten this far so he was gonna stick it out. Had to have something to show for it all. So, despite the aches and pains of his body, he made his way to English, first class of the day.

  
He liked the subject well enough, as long as he wasn’t picked out to answer a question or read a literature passage. Luckily, the teacher, Miss Evans - who was new at the beginning of the year- knew that he wouldn’t comply with those requests. 

  
Today though it was worse than that. Group projects with someone that was chosen for you- not that Daryl had any friends to pick from anyway. There was a disappointed murmur from the class around him but Daryl stayed silent, sat at the back of the class with hunched shoulders and arms crossed on top of the desk.

  
Miss Evans went through her list, kids shuffling about to sit with their new partners. Daryl watched with dull dread, knowing that the next month was going to have an extra stress and trouble. He could only hope that he wasn’t paired with some asshole jock that was going to take the piss and not attribute. 

  
“Daryl and Connie.”

  
Or it could be that, it could be the worst outcome.

  
Daryl’s head snapped to Connie whose friend was signing to her. He fidgeted nervously as she nodded to the other girl before turning to Daryl. She offered a small smile as she pushed herself up, pack hanging off of one shoulder. 

  
_Hey_ , the paper read as she slid the notepad in front of him, sitting down in the seat next to him.

  
Daryl waved awkwardly, cringing terribly. She was even prettier up close, her smile was gorgeous particularly when it was directed at him and he hated that this was happening to him. He was assigned to do a month long English project with the one girl that had ever had a stupid teenage boy crush on. 

  
Swallowing nerves and taking a deep breath, he got his head in the game, focusing on the project and not on the girl. 

  
She was smart but he knew that, she answered questions easily and always did the work, she was determined and he knew she would do great things. She had great ideas but he didn’t let her do all the work, he put forward his own ideas in a messy scrawl sat next to her more well formed letters on the notepad. Connie never looked surprised either, not once did she glance at him disbelieving that he actually had some smarts.

  
It was wonderful. They worked together through the lesson in silence, just passing notes back and forth. Daryl never really relaxed but he still felt comfortable in her presence, more so than any other person in the room. She wasn’t judging him, she wasn’t hesitant about her words to him, if he put forward something she wasn’t fond of she said but if she liked it, he was rewarded with one of those wonderful smiles.

  
When the bell rang to signal lesson coming to an end, Daryl hid a grimace behind his hair. He didn’t want the lesson to be over which was stupid because they had a month of this now.

  
He felt a tap on his shoulder and turned to see Connie holding up the notepad again. It was a number- her number he assumed- with; _Text me tonight so that we can arrange a meet up_ , written underneath.

  
Daryl’s face lit up red at that. He couldn’t text her because he didn’t have a phone but she had assumed that he had because everyone had a cellphone these days. 

  
Quickly, he snatched up the notebook and scrawled down his confession, passing it back without looking. She was a good person, she had a kind heart and it had made her forget who it was that she had been paired with. This would be a good reminder for her.

  
Then, the book was pushed under his nose again. This time it was her address. 

  
Meet me at mine at eight.

  
He looked at her incredulously, just to make sure that he had read it right. She smiled at him and offered a thumbs up before walking off.

  
“Fuck,” he breathed out.  
**********  
The house wasn’t posh but it wasn’t nasty, it was just about a middleclass home. It was worlds away from the Dixon trailer with its door that didn’t sit on right, the blood stains in the carpet and the holes in the walls. It was too nice for him to be here. He was in the wrong neighbourhood completely.

  
There he stood in his threadbare jeans, his winged vest and muddy boots, he had a black eye and long, unkempt hair. People like Connie lived in this neighbourhood, people with nice clothes and a smile for strangers. 

  
Fuck this.

  
Taking a deep breath, he strode up to the door and rapped on it sharply. The boy took a step back to wait, thumb coming up to his mouth so that he could torture his cuticle with his teeth. This was not something he had done before, not anything that he had planned to do.

  
The door opened and there she stood. She smiled at him and gestured for him to come into the house. He stepped forward through the entrance, watching as she closed the door and then gestured at his shoes.

  
Hastily, he unlaced and removed them, placing them neatly besides the other shoes in the entrance. The house around him was clean, the walls cream and hung with smiling family pictures. Daryl couldn’t help but feel conscious of every bit of dirt that clung to his clothes, of the dirt that stuck in the rough skin of his weather-worn hands, stubbornly remaining no matter how much he scrubbed.

  
She gestured for him to follow her and he did, painfully careful not to touch or brush up against anything. Up the stairs they went and into what could only be her room.

  
There was a queen-sized bed with green covers decorated with birds on it, the walls were cream like the rest of the house with one green feature wall. There was a desk with schoolbooks on and a large, full bookshelf that Daryl itched to go over and examine. Little ornaments and house plants decorated shelves and the windowsill, the view from the window showing a small garden with well cared for flower beds.

  
He couldn’t believe that he was stood there in her room, in her private space. It all smelt like her.

  
She smiled at him when Daryl turned to her, he blushed, embarrassed at being caught snooping. But she looked awkward as well and it made his heart ache with want because she was just so perfect to him. It was stupid, they had only ever interacted once before today when she had accidently bumped into him in the corridor. 

  
They sat down on the floor, Connie dragging cushions out of her wardrobe for them. They sat close so that they could pass the notebook back and forth with ease. It was good, they fell into the same rhythm that they had shared earlier in class and they were coming up with some good stuff. 

  
The hours must have passed but Daryl hadn’t noticed. Connie’s door had stood half open the entire time but it was pushed open now and an attractive dark-skinned woman stood there. Her hair was slightly greying, creases formed around her eyes and mouth and her skin was darker than the girl that Daryl was sat beside but the woman was definitely Connie’s mother.

  
Connie noticed Daryl’s gaze and looked up to smile at the woman. They started a silent, back and forth conversation with their hands that left Daryl sat there lost. He looked down at their notes until Connie’s mother said his name.

  
“We’re having dinner now, we have enough for you if you want to stay,” the woman offered.

  
Daryl hated the thought of that. Sitting down for a nice meal in a nice house with the girl he secretly liked and her family whom he did not know sounded like hell. He couldn’t take their food either, he would make the whole meal awkward for them, invade their time and their space.

  
“Nah, thanks but I need to be getting back home anyway, my pa will want me back for dinner,” he said. Lies, all lies, his pa would probably be passed out drunk on the couch.

  
“Oh alright dear,” the woman smiled kindly.

  
“Right, I’ll be off then,” Daryl said.

  
He hastily collected his stuff together, packing it into his bag as Connie watched. Her mother had left, leaving the two alone. Daryl couldn’t help but wonder what she must have thought, having her daughter alone in her bedroom with such a dirty looking teenage boy. Maybe that was why the door had been left open.

  
_Want to meet up same time here tomorrow?_

  
The note was held up for him. Daryl nodded and stuck a thumb up just to be sure before he picked up his bag and beat his retreat.

  
There was Connie’s father, mother and sister all sat round the table as the two of them made their way down the stairs. Daryl offered them a small wave as he passed, slipping on his shoes and opening the door. 

  
Connie gave him one last smile and a wave, coming to close the door behind him as he made his way down the steps to the sidewalk. 

  
He began to make his way home, letting out a breath as he left the nicer neighbourhood, the foreign world behind. It was only then that he realised how tight his chest had been, the anxiety that normally haunted him in the background having exploded the moment Connie’s mum had asked him to stay. 

  
Still, it had been a lovely evening, though it did highlight how lonely his life was. 


	2. Home

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning for graphic abuse

He was still tense as he walked home, overanalysing everything that he had done over the day in her presence, realising just how awkward he had been, how he must have made her feel. Daryl couldn’t believe that she had asked him back tomorrow as well, though he supposed that she must be driven to finish their project. He had at least put forward some useful points to prove that he wasn’t completely stupid.

The middle-class setting faded away around him as he came nearer and nearer to the house falling apart on a street full of buildings in a similar state as it backed into the forest. Daryl came to a stop outside of the door to the house he lived him- a place he couldn’t quite bring himself to call home.

The door didn’t sit properly on rusted hinges and had to be lifted slightly to open and close it. The paint on the walls was peeling, grass sprung long and yellow through the cracks in cement that led up to the door. It was a place that was falling apart, uncared for and unkempt for but it was all they had. Him and his father and Merle- when he wasn’t in jail.

His father’s truck was in the drive, his father was home and he was most probably drunk. Daryl hoped that he hadn’t noticed his absence, didn’t want to unpredictable consequences that came with him doing something out of the ordinary.

He shoved the door up and open, closing it behind him, utterly loud and unable to do anything about it. Wincing, Daryl continued down the hall with the peeling wallpaper. The teen flinched as he heard grumbling coming from the living room, the mumblings of his drunk, semi-conscious father.

Stopping in the doorway to the room, he looked in at the ratty couch and the man pushing himself off of it. Will Dixon looked every bit the redneck in his stained wifebeater, one that used to be white many years ago and ripped and tatty jeans. His hair was grey and thinning, a bald spot growing on the top, eye’s bloodshot and droopy, mean.

They were eyes that locked onto Daryl and the boy knew that he wasn’t going to get out of this without some injury.

“And where the fuck do you think you’ve been?” the man grunted, stumbling forward a step.

“Been studying,” Daryl mumbled.

“Been fucking studying? The fuck do you think that’s gonna achieve hey? Ain’t no way you’re going to finish school or make anything from it. Just a worthless piece of trash wastin’ valuable time on fucking studying,” Will Dixon snarled.

Daryl sniffed and shifted on his feet, heart in his throat. There wasn’t anything that he could say to that, there wasn’t any excuse.

His father moved suddenly then, moved with a swiftness that he shouldn’t have in such an inebriated state but one that Daryl was well used to by now. The man picked up a bottle of beer from the coffee table and threw it with as much force as he could muster at his son.

Daryl didn’t even have time to raise his arms to block his face before the bottle hit him square in the shoulder, the weight and force bruising, the shards cutting, the whole thing stinging with the beer. It knocked him back and he stumbled, other shoulder knocking into the doorframe but he stayed where he was, clever enough to know that running would only make things worse.

One thing his father had taught him is that no one liked a coward.

“You’re a worthless piece of trash and you need to get that in your head! You’re too stupid to even know what you are!” The man yelled, having moved forward and was now right in his son’s face.

Spit flew and landed on Daryl’s skin while the strong stench of alcohol burned his nose. It took all his concentration not to cringe away from the man, knowing that it would only be worse for him if he did. Will simply shoved him back into the wall, hard enough that it winded him, before barging past him.

“That shit better be cleared up by the time I get back!” was yelled before the door slammed.

Daryl stood paralysed as he listened to the truck engine start up and rumble as his dad drove away. It was when he couldn’t hear it anymore that he crumpled to the ground and allowed himself a moment of weakness, face hidden in his hands. He shook but his eyes remained dry because he wasn’t a coward, he wasn’t a pussy. He was strong really, he had to be.

After a moment, he pulled himself together- jaw clenched in anger at having let himself fall apart in the first place. His shoulder throbbed, he could already tell that it was cut up bad and that he was going to have a sizable bruise, nothing really bad though. All he’d have to do was pick out any glass and douse the lot in spirits- of which they had plenty.

Daryl made his way over to the kitchen, clean up the glass on the floor first just in case his dad came back now- he really could never tell with his old man. All he bothered with was sweeping up the glass, not bothering to wipe up any of the split alcohol; the walls were already stained and the house already stank.

After, he trudged up the stairs with its ratty carpet and into the bathroom with its off-white interior and rusty edges. It was the most unhygienic place to wrap himself up and he had gotten so many infections probably because of it but there wasn’t much he could do about it. Instead, he leaned down and prized off the loose floor panel and removed the bottle of whiskey and the small box of medical supplies he hid away there.

His shirt was ripped as well as sodden with the beer as well as blood and he couldn’t help but wrinkle his nose as he gingerly pulled it off. The skin underneath was already colouring up and many cuts adored the area, oozing blood. There was one though that had a fair-sized chunk of glass sticking out. He carefully grabbed the edge and pulled it out, groaning at the pain. Great, he’d need to stitch that up.

After he pulled the rest of the glass out and stitched up the largest gash, he poured the whiskey over it all and wiped everything down. The shirt was beyond repair to he put his supplies away, grabbed it and headed down the hall to his room. To the filthy mattress on the floor and the chest of drawers.

He pulled on a fresh shirt, grabbed his crossbow and made his way back out. He didn’t bother to check the cabinets or fridge for anything knowing that there would be no point as there wouldn’t be anything there. Daryl could only hope that his snares had caught him something.

Leaving the house, he made his way to the forest, disappearing into the trees, finally being able to breath properly. The shadows were familiar and they hid him, they provided him his own world. This place he knew better than his own home.

Daryl carried on for nearly an hour, unhurried, checking his snares and finding three rabbits and taking them on his way. Finally, he made it to the little hut that he had built three years previously.

It wasn’t the best bit of crafting but it had stood, was waterproof and warm. It stood between three trees and had taken him six months to get standing but he was proud of it, it was his sanctuary, where he got to escape to. This was the place that he really thought of as home. It was where he kept his books and his art supplies and paintings. All the pansy ass stuff that would get him a beating if his dad ever found out but things that Daryl couldn’t give up.

Making his way up, he was greeted by the enthusiastic barking of Dog. The mutt was tied to his little kennel that Daryl had attached to the little hut itself so that the dumbass didn’t follow him home. As he came closer, sure enough there the dog was, tugging at the rope and wagging furiously.

“Shh you stupid mutt,” Daryl admonished, dropping his rabbits outside of the hut before going over to the dog.

He let Dog jump all over him, settling on the ground and laughing as the animal squirmed and jumped all over him even as he tried to protect his freshly wounded shoulder. This creature was the one thing that he loved most in the world. He had found him two years ago as a tiny pup behind the bins in one of the shittier parts of town. Dog was in there half starved and whining with his already dead siblings.

Daryl had brought him back to the hut under his jacket and went out to the store with powdered milk specially for puppies that he brought with the spare cash from his part time job at Dale’s garage. He had fed the pup and gone to the library the next day and researched everything that he could possibly need.

He only referred to the pup as Dog, not convinced that the thing would even live and trying his best not to get attached. By the time it became clear that the little creature wasn’t going anywhere, it was too late and he already replied to Dog.

Dog was always there in his safe place, he was always happy to see Daryl without fail. Dog didn’t care that Daryl was a piece of shit, he loved him anyway, looked at him with a dopey smile. Daryl would come down every day to see the mutt, spending extra time after something happened with his dad. He would always be a lot calmer afterwards, a little happier because Dog was the sole point of happiness in his life.

As the animal calmed down and settled into him, Daryl just wrapped him up in his arms, digging his fingers deep into the thick, soft fur. He buried his nose in Dog’s shoulder, letting his presence just wash over him and calm him.

He spent the night in the hut, unable to get the courage to drag himself back to the house. He lit a fire and cooked the rabbits over it, giving half to Dog and cuddling up with him. He was quiet in the outside world, he knew that no one gave a shit what he had to say but Dog didn’t mind so he talked to Dog. He told Dog all about his day, about Connie and about how he was going back the next day.

In the end, he found himself smiling into the fire with Dog at his side thinking about it all. He couldn’t wait.


	3. Mask

Connie couldn’t help herself as she watched out for that one person. Her sister had teased her all evening after Daryl had left, as had her friends all day after their English lesson. Really, she could have done a better job at hiding the crush but it wasn’t like she was the only one anyway, half the school seemed to be infatuated with the mysterious, rugged redneck. In all fairness though, she was pretty sure that most of the girls that whispered about him were only interested in getting closer to him because he was such a mystery that they would be able to get bragging rights.

As for Connie, she had been first intrigued by this boy that had kept quiet in the corners, then she had felt sorry for him because he was always unwashed, his clothes tatty and his face a little too pinched. It was quite clear to anyone that took the time that there wasn’t anyone at home that cared for him. But she moved into more of a crush because she saw that underneath the aggressive exterior that he had he was kind.

She had watched when he had helped a boy in the year below when he had run into him because he had had his nose in a book. The poor lad had looked mortified as he fell back and his book skittered across the floor, he had looked up at Daryl convinced he was going to get hit. Daryl just held out a hand though, pulling him to his feet before getting his book for him.

Then there was the time that she had seen his results in class, not purposefully just as she passed his table. It had happened once the year before in math when she had passed and seen his A+, one that he wasn’t celebrating, one that he didn’t look particularly proud of. He had his head down and was doing the work, the paper messed in with piles of the rest. Then, at the start of this school year she saw the same grade on his English paper with the same response to it.

There was just something about Daryl and Connie would fantasise sometimes about getting to know him more. She would zone out and just think about them together, him and his gentle side. Never was it anything sexual, it was only ever them on a nice walk, holding hands, him giving her a gentle kiss.

Of course being given Daryl as her English partner elated her. Not only was he smart but he was Daryl. Magna had been sat beside her when the announcement had been made, Connie had read the teacher’s lips but Magna elbowed her and signed his name either. She had a practically evil smile on her face.

Daryl hadn’t disappointed either. She had been a little worried at first about how he might react to her. He was notoriously anti-social and his family was notoriously racist- though she had a feeling that Daryl might break that rule. Then there was her deafness, something that had turned away a lot of people. Daryl had taken it all in his stride though and the crush just grew a little.

Then he had been there in her house, in her bedroom. He had been so visibly nervous and she found it adorable, he had looked around her room then they sat down together and worked on the project. The project itself was something that Connie was already excited about, the two of them were going to do good things. He had left before dinner though and Connie had been disappointed, that had been dampened slightly by his acceptance to some around again though.

The halls were filling up and it was always, there he was, making his way in just on time. Connie couldn’t help the small smile that curled her lips at the sight of him though she quickly stuck her tongue out at Yukio as she smirked. She turned to look at him again- because really she couldn’t give a fuck- but she didn’t smile this time.

The thing about being deaf was that her other senses were sharper and she was hella observant. At that moment, she observed that he was in pain. The way he was holding himself and the way he was trying to avoid the other students. Something had happened to his arm between when he left her house and now and she had a horrible feeling about it.

They didn’t have English that day but they had math and biology together. Through both lessons she couldn’t help but glance back at him and he noticed, he kept looking back before breaking the eye contact. He was embarrassed, he was painfully shy. Still, Connie couldn’t get the guts up to actually go up to him and talk to him, didn’t think that he would respond very well to what she wanted to ask anyway.

On the walk home, Kelly was signing about her day as they walked but then she stopped and asked about Daryl. _He coming over tonight?_

Connie rolled her eyes but answered yes. Her infuriating little sister grinned at her and nudged her in the side.

_It isn’t like that, he’s coming for the project that’s all._

_Yeah but it would be nice if it wasn’t. It would be nice if you had someone._ Kelly signed back.

Connie didn’t have anything to say to that, it would be nice to have someone, to have Daryl especially.

**********

The doorbell rang, of course Connie didn’t hear it but her mother signed to her, knowing who would be at the door. Connie thanked her before making her way over to the door, heart in her throat as she opened to door and smiled at the sight of him stood there.

He kept glancing around, looking at her and then away again in a way that made it seem like he was trying really hard. He offered her the most adorable, shy little smile and she knew that her smile widened.

She gestured for him to come inside and they made their way up the stairs. The two of them settled down and started which was when Connie noticed Daryl fidgeting uncomfortably. It was his jacket, a black leather one that he still had on even though the room was warm. He noticed her looking and looked away from her.

He looked seriously conflicted and Connie realised why. He must have some mark under there but she didn’t know why he would be hesitant, he had worn the appropriate wear in the summer putting all manner of bruises on display before. He didn’t care because no one else cared.

In the end, he shrugged the jacket off and Connie grimaced at the sight. There was a dark bruise poking out from underneath a shirt with the sleeves torn off, one that seemed to span a fair way and Connie hated to think of how much further under the material it went. Then there was the cuts, there was some pretty nasty looking ones around the bruise. Connie couldn’t think of what could possibly cause such an injury.

Then Daryl was leaning down and scribbling on the piece of paper that they had been having their conversation on.

_It doesn’t matter. Leave it._

Connie did and she hated herself a little bit for it. They didn’t manage to get him to stay for dinner again either. She saw him to the door and watched through the window as he walked away down the road, hunched over with his jacket covering the marks of what could only be abuse. Hunched shoulders and defeated look when he though that no one was looking, when he didn’t think that he had to put on a mask.


	4. Hope

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Very sorry for the long wait! Hope this is alright for you all

They kept meeting up, Connie and him. She kept inviting him over and kept inviting him for dinner which he always refused. Every time that he came over, Daryl found himself liking this girl more and more. He would go home and creep around his dad then go to his hut, tell Dog about this girl because he couldn’t tell anyone else. He even found himself adding paintings of her to his collection, sketching and painting her from recollection. Charcoal, water paint, acrylics and pencil. He tucked them all away together, hidden at the very back of his hut with his shame.

Really it was creepy, it was disgusting. Connie would never speak to him again if she knew his crush. He kept it to himself, not staring like he would want to really to, keeping conversation to the project. One thing that he did do though was go to the library and take out a book on ASL.

He had noticed a few things around school that the girl, the first was that she only had a few friends that knew sign language, that she could clearly read lips and that she had a notebook on her at all times. Daryl knew that if that was him, he would be sick and tired of having to write down replies all the time- that being said, she was smarter than him and was much better at English than him.

Daryl took the book to his hut and spent most of his spare time there, reading it and practicing the movements as Dog watched on. He thought that he was getting pretty good by the time his ninth day of learning came by. Passable at least. Though the teen was still convinced that he was going to look like a complete idiot to Connie who had been using the language for her entire life. So, he was still trying to steel himself to use it on her.

He was just leaving the house to head back into the trees to go and spend time with Dog when the battered old car pulled up before him. It was a car that he had worked on many times where he worked weekends at Old Dale’s garage. That wasn’t where he had met the driver though.

“Hey there Daryl,” Rick greeted as he stepped out of the car.

The man had been a safe haven for Daryl for years now, first coming into his life four years ago when he was thirteen in the hospital with a broken arm. The hospital had called the police believing his injury was child abuse- it was, Daryl had been too loud- but he wouldn’t admit it to them. To this day, Deputy Rick Grimes was certain that Daryl was knocked around by his dad but couldn’t do anything about it because Daryl always denied it. Which was why the man always came around to check on him.

Rick Grimes was a truly good man, something that Daryl had taken a long time to really put faith in. He was a left a widower after his wife died in childbirth, left with two kids that were his world. One of them wasn’t even his but the product of his wife’s affair with Rick’s own partner and best friend but that didn’t matter to the man. Rick looked after Judith and loved her just like he did Carl- Daryl had seen it first-hand when he had been invited round to have dinner in the Grimes household.

The young redneck often felt immense guilt over keeping quite with Rick. The man knew but couldn’t do anything, Rick worried over Daryl because of it, kept coming back to see him when in any other circumstance he wouldn’t have looked twice at him. Four years it had been going on but Daryl couldn’t tell him.

If Daryl confessed to Rick, he would be taken away from his father and his shitty life. He’d be taken away and disappear into the system. The teen didn’t consider himself brave in any way and the thought of going into care with all the stories that circulated, with the _uncertainty_ , sounded like hell. And besides, he wouldn’t be able to bring Dog with him, he could never leave his best friend behind.

“Hey,” Daryl replied with a shy smile.

“Off to that hut of yours?” Rick asked as he stepped up next to the teen.

“Yeah, was,” Daryl answered.

“You know, one day you’ll trust me enough to show me that place.”

“Nah man, it ain’t that I don’t trust you it’s that it’s mine you know?” Daryl said, shifting uneasily.

“It’s okay Daryl, I understand,” Rick smiled.

Instead of heading off to see Dog, Daryl got in the car with Rick and the pair drove off down to the local dinner. The place was somewhere that they went fairly regularly together so the waitress just smiled and ordered their drinks for them.

They were just talking about school and Rick’s work, his kids and random crap like always. Daryl was laughing and smiling, relaxed and having a good time. He often looked across at Rick in such meetings and wished that he was the man that Daryl had been born to, wondered about how he would be as a person if the cop had been his dad.

It was about halfway through that the door to the dinner opened and Daryl glanced up to see the two girls walk in. The two sisters: Connie and Kelly.

Daryl knew he was blushing, especially after Rick followed his gaze to the girls. Then, Kelly spotted him, elbowing his sister and pointing before waving, Connie smiling at the sight and waved as well. Daryl offered a small, shy wave in return before ducking his head down.

Someone was watching over him it seemed though because the pair refrained from coming over and were getting drinks to go. Then again, as soon as the two were gone again, Rick was turning to him with a shit-eating grin so maybe there was no one up there afterall.

“Who was that?” Rick asked.

“This girl in my English class and her sister. I’m doing a project for class with her at the minute,” Daryl told him.

“You like her?” Rick asked in a way that made it clear that he was asking more about a crush than platonic feelings.

“Yeah well, not that it matters because ain’t nothing going to happen,” Daryl replied, looking down at his coffee, face burning.

“Why not Daryl?” Rick asked, leaning forward on his elbows to concentrate on the teen across from him.

“Well first cause she’s black,” Daryl stated then cringed because that sounded bad.

“Daryl, you and I both know that none of that matters to you,” Rick half stated, half scolding.

“Nah, doesn’t matter to me but it would if my dad found out,” Daryl muttered.

“Daryl, you shouldn’t let that stop you.”

“Yeah well it doesn’t matter, she don’t like me like that anyway,” Daryl grumbled, shifting uncomfortably in his seat.

“I don’t know, she looked pretty happy to see you just now,” Rick said and when Daryl looked up he could see the bastard was smirking.

Daryl just narrowed his eyes and glared. Connie was nice, she was sweet and friendly and Daryl had never really done anything to upset her so it was only natural for her to wave hello. Connie was the sort of girl to get herself a nice, neat boyfriend, someone good in school, good at sports, kind, maybe a drama kid. Someone worthy of her.

He and Rick moved onto other conversations but it was stilted and in the end Daryl was relieved when the officer dropped him back off outside his house. The redneck waved as his friend drove away, turning as soon as the car was out of sight and making his way to the hut and to Dog.

The silly mutt was bouncing around and barking at the end of his chain as Daryl came close, obviously anxious at his master being late. At least he could always rely on his furry companion to be pleased to see him. He had a rabbit for Dog but he needed comfort first.

Flopping down beside Dog, Daryl let the animal lay down half on top of him and lick his chin. He couldn’t get Rick’s words out of his head, he hated it because it was a little bit of hope- Daryl always had problems fighting off hope. Hope never led to anything good anyway.


	5. Date-Not-a-Date

Daryl had been utterly terrified the first time that he had used ASL in front of Connie. He had worked so hard on it, put in so much effort and he was so scared that it would lead to ridicule. Daryl had learnt that there was so much to the language, your hand gestures were one thing. That being said, the hours he had put into it were far too many to just let it drop. Besides, he wasn’t the coward that his brother and father thought he was.

The first time that he got up the courage to use it, they had been three weeks into their month long project. The whole thing was coming together well, Daryl knew that he himself was immensely proud of it, hoped that it would get them both good grades.

He had come to her house after school to study yet again- it was always her house and he was so grateful that Connie had never questioned that fact. The redneck knocked and Connie’s mum, Patricia- “call me Pat Daryl dear”- greeted him. She smiled and said hello, beckoning him in. Daryl found that he really liked the woman, she was just so kind and warm, exactly the kind of woman that he would picture raising someone as good as Connie.

The girl in question didn’t bother to come and greet him, she didn’t need to anymore. Pat closed the door behind him and walked back off while Daryl took off his shoes and left them neatly next to all the others. It was then that he made his way up to Connie’s room, bag slung over one shoulder.

She looked up when he entered the room, beaming at him. It sent butterflies mad in his stomach, a sure sign that his little crush was growing out of control. Nevertheless, he let out a breath, smiled and made the sign for hello.

Connie’s mouth dropped open for a moment, looking utterly stunned. Daryl felt his face heat up at the expression, now surer than ever that learning this language for her gave away his twisted affections. Then the mouth was closed, and her face transformed into one of pure delight. She licked her lips before lifting her hands up and moving them quickly in a series of movements.

Daryl’s heart pounded and blood rushed to his ears. She was testing him, she didn’t really think that he would have learnt much more than the greeting and certainly didn’t think that he would be able to keep up with her speed. In truth, there was some words that he missed, some that he simply didn’t know but he picked up enough the get the general gist of it all.

_Thank you, I can’t believe you would learn a sign for me._

That made it all worth it. She was grateful for one little sign, and Daryl knew a lot more than that. For a moment he hesitated to respond, unsure of seeming cocky or putting her off.

_It’s no problem, it’s fun to learn_ , Daryl signed back, hands a lot slower and less graceful that the other’s.

That had Connie on her feet in an instant. She came towards him and before Daryl could blink she was hugging him. In the first moment, Daryl tensed up, completely unused to the physical affection. In fact, the last time that he had been hugged was by his mother and that was before she fell fully into the bottle. That was when he was maybe six years old.

Connie seemed to sense his hesitation and began to pull away but he couldn’t lose the affection so soon. He quickly wrapped his arms around her shoulders, though only allowing it for a moment. Daryl pulled back, afraid to overstep, to make it into something it wasn’t- at least to Connie.

Both of them were slightly red when they stood apart and sat down on the floor around where Connie had set up their notes.

 _Thank you, really_ Connie signed.

That was the last they spoked of it. In week that followed, Daryl signed as much as he could, learning when he fell short, practicing on Dog- not that he was any help.

Then came the day that he had been dreading: the day they handed in their project. It was something that Daryl had worked up terribly in his mind but was very anticlimactic. All it meant really was that Connie no longer had to hang out with him, all the evenings he spent with her were over.

Dog at least would be pleased that Daryl would be going back to spending all his free time with him.

Their English lesson was the last of the day so when the bell went, Daryl packed up and made his way through the corridors and out of the building. His dad had been passed out on the couch that morning when he left meaning that he would most likely have been there all day and would be in a right mood when Daryl returned.

So, resigned to an unpleasant welcome home, Daryl began to make his way home. Just as he left the school grounds, he heard running footsteps behind him. The teen glanced around but then did a double take as he took in who it was that was following him.

Connie came to a stop as he turned, smiling shyly at him. Daryl couldn’t help but wonder what was going on, she was looking for him, maybe he had left something in class?

 _Would you like to go and grab a coffee?_ She signed then.

Daryl stared, knowing he probably looked like an idiot with his lost look, mouth slightly open and eyes wide. He must have misinterpreted though. He was by no means an expert on ASL and he was probably projecting his thoughts onto her.

 _We don’t have to_ , she signed. She looked almost panicked.

 _You did ask for coffee right?_ He signed- because he had to be sure.

_Yes_ , she replied, looked wary of him. He had no idea why she would, had no idea why she would want to hang out with him now that she didn’t have to.

_Now?_

_If you’re free_ , she replied, she looked hopeful now. It made Daryl hopeful.

 _Yes, of course_ , he signed, smiling shyly at her.

That was how they ended up at Connie’s favourite dinner, one that was different to the one Daryl had seen her and Kelly in weeks ago. Apparently that was Kelly’s favourite dinner.

They sat down with their drinks on opposite sides of the booth. Daryl was loathe to dip into the money that he had saved up from the garage but it wasn’t like it happened everyday and he didn’t want to seem that desperate in front of his stupid crush.

There was a moment where they just sat, glancing awkwardly at each other. Daryl for his part had no idea what Connie wanted to get out of this little meet up, what she wanted to say to him, if this would happen again, if she wanted them to be friends even. Daryl could only hope.

Connie started signing then, her hands quick and betraying her nerves. Daryl had been learning the language a month now and could hold a fair conversation but he was lost with what she had just said to him. It must have shown in her face because she offered him a shaky smile before pulling out her notepad and quickly beginning to scribble.

 _I know that we don’t have the project anymore but I like you and I would like it if we could be friends_ was the message written on the page when she thrust the book at him.

Daryl stared at the words, reading them over and over to make sure that he knew what was there, that he wasn’t misinterpreting anything. When he looked back at her she was watching him carefully, shy smile back on her face.

 _I would really like that_ , Daryl signed causing the pair of them to burst out grinning.

After that, they spoke about random things, more personal things than they had when they were focused on their project. Friend things. They shared stories like the time Connie and Kelly went climbing trees and Connie fell out and broke her arm and how Merle nearly drowned himself when he and Daryl went out fishing one time. Favourite foods were there but Daryl couldn’t say much as his diet was mainly rabbit and venison. He told her it was bacon because, although he hadn’t had it in years, he remembered it being heavenly. Hers was salmon- Daryl had teased her playfully for that and revelled in the fact that he was able to.

A few hours and a fair amount of coffee later, the pair of them left the dinner. Their routes were the same for a while so they walked together for a while, signing every now and then. Mainly, they walked in silence, Connie walking close to him. It was companionable, nice. It was something that Daryl had never had before.

When it came time for them to part, Connie turned to him and smiled before darting forward and hugging him. Unlike the first time she had done it, Daryl hugged back straight away, giving her a small squeeze. It was all smiles when they pulled back a moment later.

The rest of his walk back home he couldn’t shake the happiness and the disbelief and he knew that he would do anything not to fuck this up.


	6. The Hut

It happened again and again. Connie joined him after school to go out for coffee, to laugh and chat. Then it was a movie- ones that they always had to ask for subtitles for. Those happened more and more because, as it turned out, Connie was a big movie fan. And Daryl loved it. She was very animated in them, smiling, laughing quietly, grabbing onto his arms in excitement and shock.

Connie helped Daryl with his signing, their friendship reaching its third month and his knowledge of the language almost fluent. They could talk for hours with his knowledge, about movies and books, about Connie’s interest in travelling the world and uncovering stories, how she was desperate to become a journalist. She taught Daryl things about the countries that she had visited on vacation with her family and Daryl taught her about the plants in forests, ones that could be of use, medical ones, edible ones, the ones that were poisonous, the ones that were irritants.

They would spend so much time with each other, learning each other, their humour, their habits, interests, likes, dislikes. Connie and he both shared funny stories about their childhoods, Daryl talked with her about Merle some but never about his parents, staying away from the dark topics. He felt like he knew her so well and it was wonderful.

It was also very painful.

The collection of sketches and paintings of the girl grew, a shameful blot on his collection that he still kept hidden in a folder at the very back of the hut. Still, he found himself taking them out, looking at them and adding details where he had missed them before. He felt creepy and disgusting but he couldn’t stop. It made him want to pull his hair out, often resulted in him pressing his cigarettes out on his own skin, the circular scars that formed mixed with the ones his father and his father’s friends had given him over the years.

His father… In his state of confused emotions- weakness- he couldn’t deal with the man as well. Words that were thrown at him that he had previously just excepted now hurt afresh, every reason why Connie would be his friend for now before finally falling away, unable to stand him any longer.

Weak

Worthless

Useless

Pathetic

Waste of space

Stupid

Disgusting

Merle was still locked away, it was still Daryl and his father. The man continued to take his anger out on his son, with words, with fists, with his belt, but now there was added stress to it. Before Connie, no one had ever paid attention, Daryl was a redneck bigot, a racist asshole that was constantly covered in dirt, with ratty clothes. Someone that no one would want to associate with- he still was which was why he knew his friendship with Connie wouldn’t last.

The bruises Daryl got at first were always somewhere he could hide, ones in the day where Will Dixon wasn’t as far gone as current times. Now, the stripes on his back were covered, the bruises causes by objects thrown were often on his sides, his chest, his abdomen. The cuts from the glass from bottles as they broke against his skin, the little cigarette burns, they were all hidden under clothes.

It was only the swollen cheek, the black eyes and split lips caused by flying fists were seen. And every time Connie saw them, a twisted look decorated her face. But Daryl didn’t want her to pity him or to think him weak because he couldn’t defend himself against an old drunk.

They both pretended the bruises didn’t exist. At first.

That day, Daryl had brought in a lunch- sandwiches that he had made with rabbit and his very own jerky- he ate on a table in the far corner of the hall. He always hated the bustle of lunch with all the hundreds of other students. The noise distracted him, that was his excuse at least when she was standing in front of him out of nowhere, making him flinch slightly when he noticed.

She was smiling shyly down at him, her lunch tray in her hands. Without any fanfare, she placed the tray on the table and sat down so that she was directly across from him. It was something she had never done before so he wasn’t entirely sure how to react.

_Mind if I sit?_ She signed with a grin.

Daryl just snorted at that before glancing back at the table where she usually sat, at where all her friends were. They were watching them, giggling and taking behind their hands. One boy, one with curly brown hair who Daryl recalled was Luke, waved at them. Daryl could feel his face burning.

_Are you sure you don’t mind people seeing?_ Daryl asked. It was one thing to go out and meet up after school where it was just the two of them and another to be seen in the middle of school. Social death for Connie for sure.

The question made the girl frown. She shook her head at him before signing, _I don’t care about that Daryl. There is nothing to be ashamed off._

Daryl looked at her for a moment, seeing the genuine expression that she displayed. _Thank you_ , he signed to her. She just smiled.

It was the most enjoyable lunch he had ever had.

**********

They were walking together after school when the topic of hobbies came up. Daryl knew that Connie read a lot, also collected information and created a composed piece of writing from it. He had never mentioned his art to her though, fearing her reaction. He was not supposed to be the type of person to enjoy sitting down and painting the things around them.

_So what do you enjoy doing when you’re at home?_ She asked him.

He thought for a long moment as to whether he would tell her but at the end of the day, Daryl had come to trust her more than any other person in the world.

_I like to paint_ , he replied, continuing to walk, too scared to look at her reaction.

She batted his arm to grab his attention so he looked over to see what she wanted to say. _Can I see?_

Daryl stared. He didn’t think that she would be that interested but regularly he forgot that she wasn’t like most other people. She paid attention to him, was interested in what he enjoyed and what he did.

Then there was letting her see. All of his art was in his hut, a place that no one other than himself and Dog had ever been. But it was Connie.

After a long moment he signed _okay_.

She was beaming at him as he gestured for her to follow.

Daryl watched her out of the corner of his eye as they left the more respectable places behind. The street that Daryl lived on was run down, more than one of the houses had been abandoned all together. It was a world away from the area that Connie lived. There was no judgment in her roving gaze though, only open curiosity.

Before they reached his house, Daryl lead them off of the pavement and into the trees. They were sparse at the beginning but they quickly began to grow closer, the way they took would get anyone lost who didn’t know the place well.

_Are we not going to you house?_ Connie signed, brow creased.

 _No, my dad would not appreciate me wasting money on pansy stuff like_ this, Daryl replied. It was the truth, or part of it and it made him feel vulnerable.

He glanced at her to see her reaction, she looked sad and he hated it. He made a mental note to not mention his dad in any way to her again.

They didn’t gesture anything again until they came close to the hut. Dog was barking incessantly making Daryl smile. He knew that Connie couldn’t hear him though and suddenly he didn’t know if she was okay with dogs or not.

_You alright with dogs?_ Daryl asked, turning to face her and stopping before they actually entered the little clearing the hut was in.

 _I love them!_ She gestured enthusiastically, a big, beautiful smile gracing her face.

Daryl grinned at that, turning and gesturing for her to follow. They came into sight of the silly mutt, straining against his chain. Daryl hated to tie him up but he had to in order to make the beast stay and he made sure that he had a large range to move, always untying him as soon as he arrived.

Dog had never met anyone but him but he was such a good boy, so friendly that Daryl only had good hopes. Indeed, when the animal saw Connie he stopped his wriggling, he stood with ears perked and tail wagging gently.

Connie for her part seemed enamoured with the dog, stepping closer slowly with an extended hand. As soon as she was close enough, Dog bounded forward, wriggling and barking happily, licking the proffered hand.

Daryl smiled wide, it was a surreal sight, seeing the two together. They were getting on well as well. He stepped forward to unclip the chain and let Dog go wherever he chose. Finally, the animal chose to greet him.

The teen went to the hut and filled the beast’s bowl with his dry food, bringing it out to Dog who happily tucked in. Connie stood back when Dog began eating.

_What’s his name?_ She asked.

_Dog_ , Daryl replied, realising for the first time that that was a poor name.

She raised and eyebrow at him and smirked, he just shrugged.

There was a moment where they just looked at each other, it was too much and Daryl hurried off to go and grab some of his best pieces that were finished. He brought them out and passed them to Connie, suddenly even more uncomfortable and unsure than before.

The girl took them, sitting down on the ground to look through them. There was paintings of the forest, acrylic ones and water colours, there were quite a few of Dog and there was a bunch of still life ones of plants that he found around the area.

He watched her as she went through them. She focused on each one, fingers gently tracing over lines. She looked like she was in awe of them.

_These are so good Daryl! I’ve never seen such beautiful work_ , she gestured, smiling softly at him after she finished looking at the last one.

_Thanks,_ Daryl replied quickly, face burning. He wasn’t ashamed though, he was astounded, so pleased that he had impressed her. Irrationally pleased.

He took the paintings and carefully put them back in their place within the shed. He turned around to see Connie in the doorway, looking over the place. There was his shelves with his paintings and favourite books, his cupboard with some clothes and art supplies and the mattress and ratty blankets. It was embarrassing because it was quite clearly a lived-in space.

_How did you find this place?_ She asked, hands tapping nervously against the frame of the door.

 _Built it, it’s where I go when things get too bad_ , Daryl said. She was seeing all this, she had met Dog, she was in a place that no one had been but him, he figured it wouldn’t matter too much to tell the truth.

_What about Dog?_ She asked.

_Found him when he was a tiny pup. His mum was a stray, she and all the other pups had died. Nursed him. Didn’t think he would live so I didn’t give him a proper name. Then he did live but he replied to Dog already so there’s that_ , Daryl gestured, hands moving quickly with his nerves.

Connie stared at him with an expression that he couldn’t read but then she was moving forward and suddenly, there were lips on his and she was kissing him.


	7. Not This Way

It was awful. Ridiculous really. Every moment that Connie spent with Daryl the worse her crush got. Hell, the other teen had learnt sign language for her! Sometimes though, she caught him looking at her in the way that she looked to him. She never could be sure though, Daryl was a mystery to everyone at school, keeping to himself always. Connie did know though that he was painfully shy and that he had a big heart that he tried to hide.

There was something that held him back, it was like he wished to be around people but was afraid to. It was clear to her that someone in his life was beating him around and had been for a long while, the bruises and the flinching and the low self-esteem that rippled through his every move gave it away painfully.

She hated it with every fibre of her being, he was too wonderful to be hurt and put down. Even if he wasn’t, no one deserved it. Though, they never spoke about it as Daryl made it clear that he didn’t want to talk about it and she was too frightened of scaring him off.

Then they started going out for coffee. That was when it started getting really bad because when she asked even she wasn’t sure if it was asking him on a date or not. But chatting with him with their hands- he was getting so much better, enough to prove that he practiced when they weren’t together- seeing his smile. She really loved his smile, the little quirks of his lips and the way that his eyes lit up.

The final straw was the hut. The hut and the dog.

As soon as Daryl said that he painted, it sounded right. He seemed like the kind of person to sit for hours quietly and just observe, copy it down.

Seeing the paintings and the hut that he had built as well as the dog he had recued made him the best person in the world to her. Creative, thoughtful, kind, good with his hands, handsome and unaware of it… If any other girl in school knew half as much about Daryl as she did they would be falling over themselves to get his attention. Not that Daryl would notice.

Then he told her about rescuing Dog and she couldn’t help it; she kissed him.

As soon as she did, panic set in, sure she had just ruined everything, but then he leaned in and returned the affection. His lips were surprisingly soft against hers, hesitant as well like he hadn’t kissed anyone before- perhaps he hadn’t. His hands were flapping nervously at her sides, fingers brushing against her ribs.

With more confidence than she thought that she’d have, Connie grabbed his hands and wrapped them firmly around her waist before winding her fingers through his hair. It was coarse and tangled just like she’d imagined when she thought of moments like this one- dreams that she never thought would come to pass. It was very Daryl.

It was just perfect.

After, Daryl showed her some more paintings and they both played with the Dog. It was so clear that the animal was Daryl’s entire world and it warmed her heart.

When she finally had to leave, Daryl walked her halfway home. Connie was going to kiss him again but she couldn’t fins the confidence again so she just hugged him instead. Daryl gave the best hugs anyway.

**********

It was the perfect kiss in the woods in a perfect romantic environment and Connie couldn’t think of anything else the entire weekend after it happened. Kelly teased her for her “heart eyes” but she couldn’t really care less, she was going to see Daryl again on Monday after all. In all fairness, she hadn’t really been there all weekend, lost in her own world with hopeful future realities for her and Daryl.

Monday drew around and the journey to school took an age. As soon as she stepped into the halls, there seemed to be people everywhere, pressing in close, too many to see the one person that she really wanted to. In fact, her friends found her before she even caught a glimpse of raggedly long hair that might belong to her redneck.

They had been caught up by Kelly about her lovestruck behaviour. None of them were stupid and they had all figured out that whatever happened would be to do with Daryl and they were all teasing her as she finally spotted the boy in question. He was just turning from his locker, spotting her at the same time. He offered an awkward little wave and averted his eyes as her friends around her all looked over at him.

The rest of the day was all wrong. Daryl didn’t try to make contact with her in class and at lunch he was nowhere to be seen. All she could think was that he was ashamed of what had happened, that he was hiding from her. It was horrible and thinking about Daryl it probably wasn’t the case but there was still that nasty nagging voice in the back of her head that contradicted logic.

It wasn’t until the end of the day that she saw him again. He was slipping out of the school, moving away from the sea of students with a cigarette hanging between his lips. His smoking was something that Connie hated with a passion but at this time it was a godsend in that it left an opening to make conversation.

Saying a quick goodbye to her friends- who were all nudging each other and winking at her- she jogged down the steps and over to him, pinching the cancer stick from between the teens lips as she came up beside him. Daryl for his part didn’t jump or flinch- he always seemed to know when people approached him- but he did look over with wide, unsure eyes. It hurt really to see so she chose not to mention their kiss, too cowardly to put their friendship at risk.

Instead, Connie asked if Daryl wanted coffee, heart in her throat as she waited for his reply, feeling intense relief when he agreed. They went to their usual place and ordered their usual drinks, talking like they usually would before the Friday just passed.

Despite that, Daryl seemed more tense than usual, shifting on spot. He didn’t run though and she counted that as a plus, though she couldn’t bring up the source of tension and really, it scared her how much she valued her time with him.

In the end, they parted, Daryl waving her goodbye and sauntered off in that way of his, wearing the leather vest that seemed to be part of his skin. She watched the angel wings retreat, leaning against a lamp post like a creeper yet unable to look away.

It wasn’t meant to be like this.


	8. Friend

Daryl couldn’t help but fret all weekend after that moment with Connie outside of his hut. It was wonderful, most probably the best moment of his life but he couldn’t fathom why it had happened. He couldn’t see or find reason for Connie to do such a thing, other than it being a mistake. A lapse in judgment.

Then on Monday when he saw her and her friends across the hall giggling at him he knew there was something up. But Connie wouldn’t have done it just for a joke. He knew her, knew that she would never be cruel like that, couldn’t possibly have misjudged her so terribly. That didn’t stop the sting though.

He gave her a wave- one that was so awkward it hurt him- just so as not to seen rude. That in itself was something he would never have done before, he would never have given a shit but he did when it came to Connie and that scared him.

So, scared and just as much of a pussy as his dad always said, he hid. He made sure to sit away from her in class and be one of the first out of the room, quickly blending in with the mass of students that filled the corridors. At lunch, he went back to his tree behind the school. It was the one where he would spend all his lunch hours before his job with Dale and consequently the money he had to buy lunch.

He smoked four cigarettes in a row, hand unsteady as he filled his lungs with the smoke, stuck in his own thoughts. Never in his life had anyone his own age wanted to be friends with him outside of a joke, everyone he had ever hung around with we Merle’s redneck druggie friends and they weren’t exactly social icons. Now, this situation just screamed at him as to why he never bothered with normal people.

Anxiety buzzed through him, made his chest tight and his eyes burn. Taking a deep breath, Daryl curled in on himself, pulled up his sleeve and pressed the butt of his last cigarette against his wrist. The pain flared bright and he had to fight to not jerk away, instead twisting the butt deeper into his flesh. Daryl continued until the shaking and the panic subsided, the strange calm and content coming over him instead.

The mark joined the rest of them around his wrist and lower arms, the cluster of twelve little circular marks in all. The physical evidence of his little habit, the addiction that was as likely to disappear as his smoking. It didn’t matter though, they were small and pale, unnoticeable unless you were really looking, even more inconspicuous on someone like him, someone that no one had time for. Only Rick had ever noticed them.

The rest of the day was hell. He didn’t know where he stood, didn’t know what to do but she was _everywhere._ She was there in the corridors, when he turned corners, seemingly in every class. She would try to make eye contact but then there were her friends around her, winking at each other, giggling and elbowing each other.

Throughout the day, he found himself pressing his thumb into the little circle, bringing the pain up fresh and sharp to the surface. Something small to ground him.

Nevertheless, by the end of the day he was a wreck. The teen had managed to pack up his bag and be one of the first out of the classroom, able to join the rush of students pouring out of the school. He followed them down the steps, pulling out a cigarette and ignoring the disapproving tut of Miss Morgan who taught biology, not his class luckily.

Daryl broke off from the crowd, making his way away from the bus stop and the school grounds. The cigarette was still hanging from his lips as he fumbled to find his lighter in his pocket when he heard the footsteps behind him. They were her footsteps, he’d know them anywhere. That was why it didn’t come as a surprise when she came up alongside him and plucked the cigarette from his mouth- she had made it very clear that she didn’t approve of them. 

Daryl didn’t bother to fight the other teen, just tensed slightly as they fell in step with each other. There was a long moment when neither signed anything, just continued to walk. Daryl for his part had no idea what he could possibly say to her, never having been put in a situation remotely close to this.

Then she asked if he wanted to go and get coffee. It initially felt like a trap, like she was luring him there and giving him hope only to take it away. But he had to remind himself that this was Connie not anyone else and despite his paranoia, Daryl trusted her more than anyone but maybe Rick. Certainly more than Merle who was nothing if not unreliable.

Coffee -which took place in their usual diner, in their usual booth- was normal, like nothing had happened. They talked about everything that they would in a normal conversation, things from school teachers and their peers to the weather to opinions on different flavours- something that Daryl could only often guess at.

Before they knew it, they had been in the dinner for two hours, each having purchased three drinks- something that made Daryl cringe when he realised. He also realised that it wouldn’t end well for him turning up this late home with no explanation.

The pair of them made their way out, Connie was smiling and Daryl was staring like a creeper. It was dark, the clouds heavy and grey but it was the opposite of his mood and he walked down the pavement in plain sight with her. When they parted though, he could feel her eyes on his back. He wondered what she was thinking, what she was seeing but he didn’t dare to turn around.

Instead, Daryl trudged home, dread building with each step. The teen was certain that his dad would be home, home and most likely drunk and angry. At least Merle wasn’t home to argue with him and wind him up.

Half way home, the heavens opened, a deluge of rain, cold, persistent and sudden. It was just his luck really, soaking his hair and making it hang heavy around his face, water dripping from the ends down his neck. It even seeped through the seams in the old leather vest of Merle’s. Every inch of him was left soaked by the time that he turned onto his rundown street.

As he came within four houses of his, he could see the familiar car parked against the sidewalk, inside lights on and the silhouette of the man within, hunched over, probably reading one of his books.

It was a relief, of that there was no doubt; he would put off a confrontation with his father as long as possible. It did mean though that Rick had been waiting all these hours for him to come past, waiting since school was out and he was in the dinner with Connie.

Not wanting to make him wait any longer and more than happy to get out of the rain, the teen hurried to the car, pulling open the passenger side door and flopping into the car. He watched Rick jump as the door was opened, saw multiple emotions flit across his face, surprise, panic and relief.

“Are you alright? I’ve been waiting hours, I couldn’t help think that somethin’ had happened,” Rick said in a hurry as soon as the door had closed once again.

A hand reached out, fingers against his cheek, turning, looking for any hint of damage. Those eyes raked down his body, watching Daryl’s posture, watching for any sign of discomfort. He then pulled Daryl in for a hug, tight and safe and warm, over too soon when the man pulled back.

Rick was the only person in the world that Daryl trusted enough to let him touch him. Rick was the man that he secretly thought of as a second father, a true father.

“I’m okay man,” Daryl said once they pulled apart, shoving a wet lock of hair out of his face.

The heating was on in the car, warm and wonderful, it made him shiver at the change. There was that nagging in the back of his head though that told him he was getting Rick’s car seat wet and he shouldn’t be.

“Not that it’s my place, but where were you?” Rick asked.

“Having coffee with Connie,” Daryl replied after a moment, cheeks burning.

“Connie? She’s the girl you were doing your assignment with,” Rick commented.

“Yeah,” Daryl replied.

“You guys hang out now?”

“Yeah… yeah she’s my friend now,” Daryl told him- he hoped that was true at least.

“Really? That’s very good to hear,” Rick said, a beam stretching across his face.

“Thanks. What did you want though?” Daryl asked, moving the conversation on as fast as possible.

Luckily for Daryl, Rick knew when the teen was uncomfortable and was the best at avoiding unwanted conversation.

“Just wanted to check on you. I’m sorry but I’ve been so busy at the station- not that that is an excuse- but I haven’t come down here in too long. Then with you not coming back I was starting to think that he’d gone too far,” Rick replied.

“He don’t do nothing, I’m fine. Thanks though. Look, you know that you don’t need to come see me, don’t feel bad if you can’t.”

“I know Daryl, but I want to.”

“Alright… well I should get going, Dad’ll be wantin’ me back,” Daryl said, already reaching for the door handle.

“Okay Daryl, take care,” Rick replied, there was a sad smile on his face. Daryl knew that it was because he hated Daryl going home but there was nothing Daryl could do about that.

Daryl opened the door and ducked back out into the rain, waving a goodbye at the officer that had become a friend. He quickly turned away, hurrying down the pavement towards the house he lived in.

“She definitely has to be my friend,” he muttered to himself just as he reached the door to his home.

With as little noise as possible, he opened the door and stepped into the hallway, he was halfway down when “boy!” was yelled through the house. Loud and angry and promising pain.


	9. Torn Up

Merle stumbled home, hungover, missing his high and probably- most definitely- stinking. He had been out of the slammer a week, staying with his mates drinking, whoring and doing all the drugs that he had missed while locked up. Now though, the most sober that he had been since his release, he felt guilt at not checking on his brother.

His childhood at the hands of their father had twisted him into the rough man he was, had given him his scars. Every time that he was locked up it was a relief in some ways to escape the tie he had to Will Dixon. At the same time, every time that he got locked up there was the niggling guilt in the back of his mind.

Daryl was sixteen or seventeen- he never could remember, the kid was more than a decade younger than him was all he could recall- and he had to learn to take care of himself eventually. Living with Will wasn’t the easiest though, the guy was an asshole although he had never laid a hand on the boy like he had Merle. Daryl would have told him if he had. He hoped anyway.

The only problem was that Daryl wasn’t like him, he wasn’t tough or strong, he didn’t have the guts to do anything bad enough to land himself behind bars. Daryl however had a self-sacrificing streak a mile long. There had been one time when the kid was tiny, maybe four or five, and their momma had smacked him, left a handprint bright red on his cheek. Even that small, Daryl hadn’t cried out, he just got quite and ran off to hide.

So, when he finally reached the door to their house- one barely hanging onto its hinges- he was as nervous as he would ever get. Dad’s rusted truck wasn’t on the drive and there was no sound coming from the building so there was hope. Merle wasn’t exactly sure what day it was, or if that mattered, didn’t know if his little brother still went to school or if he had a job or anything. The brat never came to visit him with an update- not that Merle blamed him.

As soon as he opened the door, he knew something was wrong. The smashed table in that hall meant nothing- their daddy wasn’t the most graceful drunk- but the bloody hand print on the peeling wallpaper did. He moved up to it, passing a finger over it. It was dried but not too brown, so maybe made the night before. More than that, it was too small. That print wasn’t made by Will Dixon’s hand.

Without hesitation, Merle barrelled down the hall and barged into his little brother’s room. The door slammed back against the door but that didn’t wake the body sprawled on the dirty mattress on the floor. The boy who would normally wake at a light breeze.

The reason for his continued unconscious state was obvious. It was in the dried blood on his back and the open wounds that Merle recognised all too well as those made by a belt. Probably the same belt that had left his scars years ago. The boy’s face was turned towards him, his right eye swollen shut.

Merle stumbled to the edge of the mattress and fell to his knees next to the bloody body of his brother. His hands were shaking as he reached out and grabbed Daryl’s wrist, one hanging limp before him. There was a pulse there, and the boy’s chest rose and fell infrequently. Alive if even just. 

After confirming the state of his little brother, he finally noticed the state of Daryl’s hand, pride washing over him. The knuckles were torn and bloody, red dried under the nails.

“You’re a little fighter really ain’t ya little brother,” he huffed out.

Hands still shaking, Merle slipped his arms underneath the boy, lifting him up with a care he would never admit to. In his sleep, Daryl groaned, face scrunching but he didn’t wake.

By the time that Merle had gotten them to the bathroom and placed Daryl belly down on the floor, the boy was still unconscious. Merle was glad for it in part, helping the boy escape the reality and the pain but worried at the same time. Daryl should have woken up but he’d lost too much blood, maybe the pain had overwhelmed him.

Thanks to some higher being that Merle didn’t really believe in, the medical kit he had stashed under the sink before his time away was still there. There was thread and needles and bandages, everything that Merle would need to patch up after a bar fight. Everything that he never thought he would have to use on Daryl.

With one last look at the boy, he stumbled back out of the bathroom and down the creaky stairs to the kitchen.

“Old bastard has to have some somewhere,” he muttered to himself as he ripped he cupboards open.

Finally, he found an unopened bottle of whiskey, hissing out a triumphant ‘yes’ before running back up the stairs to the bathroom where Daryl still lay.

“Now little brother this is gonna hurt like a bitch but it’s for ya own good,” Merle muttered, kneeling down next to the boy and unscrewing the whiskey cap.

Grabbing a rag, Merle opened and emptied the whiskey all over Daryl’s torn up back. That was the point where Daryl woke. A gasp and a chocked off whimper left the body as he began to push himself up on his arms.

“Ah no, lay back down there little brother, old Merle is here, just cleaning ya up,” Merle chastised, pushing gently down on his brother’s shoulder where the skin was intact.

“Me-merle?” Daryl slurred, slumping back down but turning his head to face the older man.

“Yeah little brother, it’s me, don’t ya worry now. I got ya,” Merle said.

He began to dab the rag over Daryl’s back, wiping up the blood so that he could get a better look at what he was dealing with. He could feel Daryl tensing and wincing under him but he didn’t reprimand him, wouldn’t, not for this.

Once the blood was all cleared away, Merle could see the full extent of the damage that their daddy’s belt had inflicted. There was three lashes there that would need Merle’s stitches, the rest were shallow enough on their own. The whole thing was puffy, hot and bruised. It was a mess but, now that things were clear, Merle could see that Will hadn’t been working on a blank canvas.

“Daddy wooped you before huh,” Merle commented as he threw the rag down and pulled the med kit over to him.

“Don’t matter none,” Daryl grumbled.

“Don’t matter none? Damn he beat all your brain cells out boy?” Merle hissed.

Daryl didn’t reply and Merle couldn’t exactly smack him about the head right now so he left it and just threaded the needle. The boy hissed as Merle pushed through the first bit of skin. Merle just replied with a sharp “quiet boy” before concentrating fully on the task at hand.

By the time he was done, Daryl was tense and hard as a boulder- something that hadn’t made his stitching any easier.

“All done now ya big baby. Ain’t nothing neat but I ain’t no woman or doctor. It’ll hold you together and that’s all that matters,” Merle told him.

He helped Daryl sit up and checked him over for any other injuries, only finding nice dark bruises that made his blood boil.

He helped the boy back to his room and left him there, having done everything that he could. It wasn’t until his flopped down on his own bed that he covered his eyes and let the crushing despair come over him. Merle couldn’t remember that last time that he had cried, if ever since he was a babe, but now, feeling the pressing guilt for failing his brother, he cried.


	10. The Goal

Daryl wasn’t coming to school, hadn’t for a week and a half now. Connie was paranoid with it, watching everywhere for the messy hair and leather vest with angel wings but there was no sign. She couldn’t help but think that she had driven him off, that the kiss and then the awkwardness of their coffee after. Connie had thought that they had been alright, that things had been normal but she could have been wrong.

The other option was that something had happened to him. For all the jokes around the school about Daryl and his family being redneck trash druggies, the boy that Connie had become attached to tried at his education. He sat at the back of class and listened, he did his homework and he got good grades. Despite what he thought. Daryl was smart and he had the potential of a bright future.

So, after school on Tuesday, the seventh day of school that Daryl had missed, she retraced her steps back through town to where Daryl had brought her. That shack in the woods full of paintings where he kept the dog he had raised from a half dead puppy.

She picked her way through the trees, following the path that he had shown her. Connie suspected that Daryl wouldn’t think for her to be able to find his place again, the route was twisty and difficult but Connie remembered it.

Soon enough, she came across the little clearing where Dog was tied. He was there jumping up in the air, straining against his chain, mouth opening in what she knew was barks, tail wagging. The teen walked up to him, grinning at the friendly greeting, Dog licking at her hands and leaning into her legs.

When they had been there last, Daryl had unchained the animal but she didn’t know how he would react to her so left him on it. Instead, she went and sat down outside of his little house, letting him come and lie next to her with his head in her lap.

It was clear to her that Daryl had been coming down here still, the fact that Dog was so settled, the bowl tucked just inside his little house was full of biscuits and the bowl outside filled with water. That was a comfort in some ways, meant that he was alright enough to come out here at least.

The confirmation was a blessing and a curse, made her feel more insecure in her place in his absence. Despite that, she tried to settle, to take in what was the here and now. It was at moments like this where she wished she could hear. She went completely deaf when she was a baby so she couldn’t remember what sounds were actually like but she had read about them. Many a time, she had read about the peace of the forest, the sounds of birds and wind through leaves.

At least she could see though, she could take in the way the sunlight cut through the pine needles, the plants and the flowers that dotted around the clearing where the trees didn’t block out the sky. Even the way that Daryl had built his and Dog’s sheds fit in, the slatted wood and solid structures fitting in perfectly with the surroundings.

Eventually, she pulled her math homework out of her bag, focusing on that instead of getting lost in her own thoughts. She would just wait.

When he finally arrived, it was Dog that alerted her. The animal suddenly jumped up and away from her, startling her from her work. Looking up, she saw him breaking through the foliage into the clearing.

Her initial reaction was relief. Then there was the horror.

His face was mottled green and yellow with old bruises and he was holding himself stiffly, walking with a limp. More than that though was the surprise on his face when she stood up, he hadn’t realised that she was there, the most observant person that she had ever met.

_Daryl, are you okay?_ She signed, stepping forward.

He didn’t answer, just stared at her and she couldn’t take it. Biting her lip, hoping desperately she wasn’t mucking up badly, she walked forwards, giving into the urge and wrapping him up in a hug. She was very careful, mindful that he might have some hidden injury.

After a brief moment of tense muscles, the boy relaxed into her hold, arms coming up to hold her almost desperately. Daryl buried his head in her neck as if hiding from the world, pressing himself into her in a way that both warmed and broke her heart.

When they pulled apart, she brought her hands up, determined to know what had gone on _. What happened? You haven’t been at school and you’re all bruised._

 _I got into a fight_ , he signed after a moments hesitation. 

_With who, you were fine after we met up_ , she replied, hand coming up after to brush back a lock of hair that had fallen to hide his marked face.

_Doesn’t matter, it happened. Be back soon_

_I missed you_ , Connie replied then instead of pressing it, knowing that she wouldn’t be getting an answer just now.

She watched him read her hands before his gaze flicked up to scan her face, questioning. Connie couldn’t fathom how he would have thought otherwise, not after what happened last time that they were in this clearing. He was special to her and she thought that she had shown it.

 _I thought that you were avoiding me, I got worried, she elaborated_ , the confession bringing colour to her cheeks.

 _What?_ He signed, looking startled.

_I thought you were avoiding me because I kissed you_ , Connie returned.

_No… no I thought that because your friends were laughing and stuff and that- It was normal so I thought you regretted it_ , Daryl signed, stumbling over his gestures, backtracking and overall looking like he had no clue.

The confession made her heart skip a beat. Made her all the fonder of this awkward, shy teen artist with the bad boy reputation that couldn’t be more wrong.

_Did you regret it?_ She asked, heart in her throat.

For a long moment, Daryl looked at her through his bangs, seeming to be weighing up his answer before simply shaking his head.

Connie released a nervous breath and let a smile stretch her face. He looked at her shyly, a smile grin tugging at his lips.

_Can I do it again then?_ She asked.

The moment that he nodded, she leaned forward and took his face in both her hands, kissing him tenderly, trying to put as much affection into the action as she could. For his part, Daryl brought one hand up to her cheek, the other smoothing over her hair before coming to rest on the nape of her neck.

They stayed like that, just kissing, for a long moment revelling in the fact that they were finally on the same page. When they broke off for air, Connie couldn’t bare to step away, instead pecking him on the lips before tucking herself in against his chest. Daryl wrapped his arms around her and buried is nose in her hair, cocooning her in a way that made her feel safer than she ever had before.

After an age they pulled apart, Daryl’s face was tinging pink in the most adorable way. He was watching her and from all their hours together she could recognise the look on his face as the one he wore when he was contemplating saying something.

She waited for him, running her fingers through his hair and tucking it behind his ear. The strands were greasy and unkempt but she didn’t care, he was here with her.

 _Do you want to be my girlfriend_ , Daryl signed after an age, face entirely red. Well that wait had definitely been worth it.

Connie grinned at him, jumping forward and kissing him again, only pulling back when he tensed suddenly. Pulling back, she saw the pain flash across his face before he quickly hid it. It was just proof that there was more damage than just his face, that whichever dickhead had decided to beat on Daryl had done hidden damage.

 _Take that as a yes?_ Daryl signed.

 _Yeah_ , she smiled at him. Hopefully, he would soon trust her enough to share his pain, to let her help him. That would be her goal.


	11. Anything and Everything

Daryl sat there in the dirt, cuddled up to Connie- the girl that had just agreed to be his girlfriend. He, Daryl Dixon had a girl willingly agree to date him. A good person, someone who tried in school and had the possibility of a bright future, a girl that wasn’t in his world, wasn’t addicted to drugs or alcohol, wasn’t agreeing out of any desperation. Connie had agreed- for now at least- to be his.

She was curled into his side, his arm around her waist, her head on his chest. Dog had his head in Daryl’s lap, enjoying having people there. At first, he had had to manoeuvre himself so that Connie wasn’t pressing against his ribs- a quick shift that he hoped she missed. After that part though, he sat there and couldn’t remember ever being more content.

The teen had no idea how long that they sat there, all he knew was that he never wanted to move and that this wonderful girl he was sat with kept reaching up to press kisses against his lips. She would look up at him like he was something special, like she was as happy as he was. He hoped that that was true, that he could keep her looking at him like that- like no other person had ever looked at him, not even by a half.

Eventually, she shifted where she was sat, pulling her hands up and starting to sign. _Have you done any more paintings since I was last here?_

Daryl swallowed, carefully thinking over his answer. The truth was yes, he had. His problem however came in that the painting he had done was one of her, something that she would want to see. But then she was his girlfriend now, so she knew that he had a crush on her at the least.

 _Yeah._ He signed eventually.

_Can I see?_ She signed, a smile on her face as she looked up at him.

She really was beautiful.

He disentangled himself and made his way across the clearing to the hut. There were shelves inside, all very ordered with his sketch books, canvases, rolled up paintings and boxes of supplies. The most recent one was on a canvas leaning against the wall next to the mattress that he slept on out here.

It was of her, one that he had done the day after they had kissed when he had seen her in class looking so serene. In it, she was sat beside the window, looking towards the front of the class with her chin resting on her hand with the sun making her glow. It was how he saw her and it spoke volumes to how besotted he was.

After a moment’s hesitation, Daryl grabbed the canvas and turned around, seeing the girl leaning against the doorway. She was watching him fondly, something that didn’t help the blush as he handed the painting over.

He watched her take in his world, watched her eyes rake over it, taking in every detail. For a long moment she stood there just looking and Daryl’s heart was in his throat waiting for judgement. All the worst cases flashed in front of him; her laughing at him and walking off, her thinking he was a creep or just pure disgust and pity at how pathetic he was.

But that didn’t happen.

She touched the surface of the painting before setting it aside. Daryl shifted in place, the anticipation working him up in the worst way. But instead of any of his fears, she stepped forward and wrapped her arms around his neck, burying her face in his chest.

Letting out a shaky breath, Daryl wrapped his around her in turn, pulling her close. She was warm, solid and real against him. Perfect, like she belonged there.

_Thank you_ , she signed once they had pulled apart. Her face and her eyes were full of emotion.

He nodded and looked away, too overwhelmed.

She reached out then, cupping his face in both of her hands, thumb stroking over the bruise on his cheek. The motion made him flush again, knowing that he looked like a mess, especially now. Despite how awful he must look, she didn’t flinch away, other hand moving up to brush over his black eye before she let go and signed.

 _Please tell me who did this_ , she motioned.

It broke his heart, she shouldn’t worry about someone like him getting a few bruises, it was how things were. Connie had more important things to think about than that. Besides, he could never admit to her that he was so weak, that he had taken his shirt off and leaned his hands against the wall when his daddy had told him. She would quickly lose interest in him if she learnt that he had stood there and let his father beat him with his belt.

The other option was her trying to convince him to leave. All that would happen then would be him going into the system, being lost in there with no stable home. He might even have to leave the area, might have to leave her.

_Doesn’t matter,_ he signed.

Daryl smiled and quickly mustered up the guts to lean in and kiss her himself. She quickly melted into it, excepting it before pushing back.

The other teen looked sadly at him before leaning back into him. She just allowed it to drop, leaving them together to quietly enjoy each other’s company for the rest of the afternoon.

**********

The next day, Daryl dragged his still sore body into school, loathe to make Connie worry anymore. There was also the small part of himself that just wanted to go in to make sure that the day before had been real, to see her again and reaffirm their new found bond.

She waved at him in the halls as soon as she saw him so he made his way over to her. They hadn’t spoken about whether or not she wanted people to know that she was dating him though so he simply offered a signed “hi”.

For her part, Connie kept the physical distance between them. The important part was the smile and the genuine joy on her face when she saw him. That was the part that mattered.

That smile was what he clung to as he made his way through the day and kept his distance, acting like nothing was different between them. He spent lunch alone and never let himself get close enough to her, leaving her alone when she was with her friends.

He had never had a girlfriend before, never really had a proper conversation with a girl so he didn’t really have a wealth of experience to draw on. Daryl did know however that people didn’t seem to want to associate with him so he took from that and decided the best for their new relationship was not to publicly humiliate the one girl who looked twice.

At the end of the day though, she joined him again, walking with him instead of taking the bus. The pair walked quietly, Daryl basking in her presence. As soon as there was no one they knew close, she reached over and grabbed his hand, lacing their fingers together.

A glance over at her showed a nervous expression on her face, one that he quickly reassured by squeezing her hand. It was a flash of insecurity that someone so wonderful should never experience. Daryl would work on making sure that Connie knew that he would give her anything and everything that she would want from him.


	12. First Date

Daryl could have sworn that his heart was jumping up and down in his throat as he pulled his dad’s shitty, rust bucket truck into the car park of a nice little dinner. It was somewhere on the other side of town from them, somewhere that Connie probably hadn’t been to before. Somewhere that people wouldn’t recognise them, so hopefully somewhere she would be comfortable to be on a date with him.

He had never done anything like this, never been anywhere close to a girl. Daryl had never even contemplated that he would have someone want to go on a date with him and yet here he was with the girl that he had crushed on for the longest time.

Connie deserved better than this diner, much better, but this was all that he could afford. If he had more time then he could save up to take her to a nice restaurant where he would stick out like a sore thumb but she would have a good time. This diner wasn’t much different from the one they usually went to though. It was something that they already knew, something safe.

She hopped down from the truck and easily slipped her fingers through his. She had dressed up for this. Not up as in fancy but smarter than usual with a blouse and jeans with high boots. She’d done make-up as well, just subtle, something that kept her real face but just picked out points. In all, Connie looked beautiful.

The girl also seemed more relaxed- probably because they were away from anyone that would know them. It had been a week now since they had officially started dating and she had never initiated contact in public so neither had he. Obviously, she wasn’t comfortable with people knowing that she was dating the youngest Dixon. Not that he blamed her.

They walked into the diner together and went and sat in the booth in the corner. There they sat and chose their orders. They ate, they chatted and no one looked twice at them. It was the first time that they had properly hung out outside of school since the whole dating thing other than walking home together. It was something that Daryl had been nervous about, how things would have changed. But their conversation flowed just like it had before, they were just as comfortable with each other as they had been before.

After their meal and Daryl had paid- Connie had tried to stop him and had eventually settled on the promise she could pay next time- they made their way back out to the truck. It was there that she settled against his front, pressing him back into the metal of the door. She kissed him there, in broad daylight. It was soft and sweet, full of care.

He smiled into it and continued to smile when she pulled back. He couldn’t help it, this was the happiest he had ever been.

_Do you want to come back to mine?_ She asked then.

His brain stopped then. Was she really asking what he thought she was? Daryl stared at her hands, trying to think. He wasn’t ready to do that with her, he didn’t want to ruin what he had with her by rushing into things. She was special and they had to do this right.

_I don’t think I’m ready_ , he replied, knowing his face was burning.

_Oh God! No I meant to hang out!_ She signed back quickly, eyes wide before she dissolved into fits of giggles.

It was a cute giggle, quiet and almost just breathy and wonderful because it was hers. He would probably have appreciated it more if it weren’t for the rush of relief and embarrassment that crashed over him.

Letting his head fall back against the car window, Daryl snorted and covered his face with his hands. Of course he should have realised Connie of all people wouldn’t have jumped straight to _that_.

_Okay_ , he signed as soon as they had both gathered their composure.

She smiled at him and leaned in to give him a peck on the lips before making her way around to the other side of the truck and got in. Daryl had to take a moment to touch his fingers to his lips and shrug of the blush that was still colouring his cheeks before he could follow.

They drove in silence back to Connie’s house. Daryl pulled up outside of the nice suburban home in the rusty truck, terribly conscious of the contrast but choosing- as ever- to push that worry to one side.

There were no other cars in the drive and when Connie unlocked the front door it was clear that no one was home. Connie quickly explained that her parents were going to collect Kelly from a swim session.

The pair quickly made their way up to Connie’s room, the place familiar and comfortable as it had been. There were still the bookcases everywhere and the damn potted plants on shelves and the windowsill. The curtains were drawn back and help in place by fancy bits of material matching the curtains themselves. In all, it was clean and calm and the room of someone that was so out of Daryl’s circle.

Still, despite the nagging in his chest, he let her drag him to the bed. His heart beat a little faster as she pushed him down and then crawled up after him. All that happened though was she flopped down beside him.

Daryl didn’t know what to do. He could smell her from the pillow under his head and feel her heat beside him, she was everywhere. He would love to curl around her, wrap her up in his arms but he wasn’t sure that he was allowed.

Suddenly, she pushed herself up from the bed and made her way across the room to one of the bookshelves. Daryl pushed himself up onto his elbows to watch as she searched for a book, finger trailing over spines, eyes flicking from title to title.

Finally, she seemed to have found the one she was looking for, pulling the book off of the shelf before turning and making her way back to the bed. The girl sat herself down cross legged next to Daryl who pushed himself up into a sitting position.

_It’s one of my favourite books ever_ , she signed, well, the first in the trilogy anyway.

_What’s it about?_ Daryl signed in return, looking down briefly at the cover as she handed it to him, _The Final Empire._

_It’s a fantasy adventure one. It’s so clever though. Do you like those sorts?_ Connie asked.

_Hell yeah._ Daryl signed. Fantasy was his favourite, especially the ones set in their own world entirely, one he could escape out into.

_How about Lord of the Rings?_ She signed.

 _Of course. You can’t enjoy fantasy and not like Lord of the Rings!_ Daryl signed. The enthusiasm of his statement caught up to him though and his cheeks burned. He was probably coming off as a massive nerd.

_You just got so much more attractive,_ Connie signed with a grin before leaning in a kissing him. It made the blush spread further and he had to duck behind his bangs to hide.

It seemed that being a big fan of Tolkien’s world was definitely a good thing as they got into a conversation about their favourite bits, the best characters, what they thought of the creatures in the world.

Daryl struggled on some words in sign. He was still quite new after all and the standard books didn’t give all the gestures needed as they delved into the world of Middle Earth. Connie was patient with him though, gently showing him how to position his hands.

At some point, they had fallen onto their sides facing each other on the bed, signing to each other, moving from one book to another. Everything that Connie said blew him away, Daryl never thought that someone so wonderful could exist, let alone want to spend enough time with him for him to realise that fact. And here he was with her letting him call her girlfriend.

Next thing that Daryl knew, the door was creaking open and he was suddenly alert. He and Connie must had fallen asleep as they talked, sprawled out on top of the covers. Connie’s head was resting on his forearm while her hands were curled up besides her face, one clutched into Daryl’s shirt. He was surprised that he had slept so comfortably next to someone, let his guard down enough.

But the door had snapped him awake straight away.

Daryl knew that he must look like a deer caught in headlights as he locked gaze with Connie’s mum. The woman had poked her head around the door, no doubt to check on her daughter. Daryl suspected that she hadn’t expected to find her lovely, middle-class, smart, beautiful daughter curled around the town’s redneck scum.

He was very confused then when the woman smiled fondly.

“Make sure the door stays open,” she said with a raised eyebrow. And then she was gone, just like that.

Daryl’s face heated up at the implications so he turned and buried his nose in Connie’s curly hair. It was an unconscious move that he would never have made if he’d been fully awake. He couldn’t come to regret it though when she let out a soft sign and buried further into his side.

After a moment of battling his thoughts, he let himself get enveloped in Connie, in her scent and feel and warmth, letting himself drift off again with her in his arms.


	13. Choice

The pair had tried not to draw attention to themselves in school, not wanting to get any ridicule from the idiots that still picked at Daryl’s ratty clothes and Connie’s disability. Still, Connie’s friend group knew thanks to Kelly and Daryl had started hanging out with them.

Daryl had never had any feelings about Connie’s friends before, they had never really paid any attention to him before, they were in separate worlds. Well some. Every person in the group was so different, every one of them had such a different home life and way of thinking.

There was Connie and Kelly obviously with their middleclass family and loving parents. Then there was Luke who came from a family heavily influenced by music, the sorts that grew an excess of houseplants and sang around the camp fire. Yumiko was from a middleclass background but her parents weren’t home often and Magna was from a more working-class home where she was allowed to run wild and her parents didn’t care.

The of them, Yumiko and Magna, were probably the two most different people in the group and yet they were still the closest. It was quite clear from the way they were together that they were a thing although they hid it from the school and seemed to make an extra effort to hide it from Daryl. The only problem was that Daryl had been brought up where it was essential to pay attention.

The pair obviously thought that he was homophobic and he couldn’t really blame them with his last name being what it was. He could see that Connie wanted to tell him but she wasn’t sure either which stung, he would have hoped that her of all people would know that he wasn’t like that. But again, it made sense for her to doubt him even though it hurt.

Daryl mostly kept quiet and listened to the lot of them when they sat down to eat lunch together, appeasing Connie by being there and appeasing the rest by not getting in the way. Really, it was mostly just uncomfortable for him but Connie had the habit of dipping her hand beneath the table and rubbing his knee when she wasn’t talking. He wasn’t sure if she was trying to reassure herself or him but he didn’t care as long as she continued.

Things were better at home as well.

Merle was back and that seemed to be a deterrent for Will. The father and son fought like cat and dog but it kept the attention off of Daryl. Merle took him out lots as well to go drinking with his buddies. It meant a lot of hangovers that he had to hide from Connie and an overall decrease in his attention span but it got Daryl out of the house more.

Rick was also around more. He had finished moving into his new place after his divorce and had settled the two children into their new lives. It meant that he was coming down to visit Daryl a few times a week. It had gotten to the point where they would meet up in the dinner- which was more a ploy to keep Merle from seeing Rick than anything.

Daryl got to hear all about Carl and Judith and even Rick’s new flame Michonne. It was great for Daryl, Rick was one of the special people in his life, he’d been there for a long time and hadn’t given up. The man was kind and compassionate and he cared. Daryl hated to admit it- even to himself- that he loved Rick more than he ever had Will. Rick had been struggling for a while with a cheating wife, his whole life turning on his head. Daryl was more than happy to see things falling in line for such a good man.

The teen gradually started to tell Rick about Connie as well. It was refreshing to let things out in the open with someone, to let out the secret. Rick for his part seemed thrilled that Daryl had found someone, was genuinely enthusiastic. Then the jokes about protection began and Daryl wished he hadn’t said anything at all.

Then there were Connie’s parents. Both of them regularly invited him to dinner and more and more he accepted. The first time that Connie’s mother saw Daryl and Connie signing to each other, she seemed to light up.

Daryl was everything that parents should hate in the boy dating their daughter. He was a redneck dating a black girl, he was dirty and rough around the edges, he smoked and lived in a shithole. And yet Connie’s parents embraced him and invited him into their home.

For their part, Daryl and Connie embarked on some heavy make out sessions but they didn’t go any further than that. Whenever he had an embarrassing reaction he always twisted his hips away to hide it. They were also careful whenever Connie’s family was around, restricting their contact when they were around- Daryl wanted to do as much as he could to remain in their favour.

Despite how well everything was going, Daryl still felt like he was hiding. Connie had seen his hut and she had met Dog- in fact, it was now one of their regular haunts- but she had never been to the piece of shit house he called home. She’d never met Merle like he’d met Kelly, she’d never hung out in his room.

He was desperate to share with her, take away this guilt that was pressing on his chest, but he was too worried. He had no idea how she would react to his life. She knew obviously that his world wasn’t the greatest if only by the state of his dress and the fact that he had a hut that he ran to.

Connie was smart, he knew that she probably suspected the bruises that turned up on his skin to be tied to his dislike of him. Suspecting and knowing were two different things though. Realistically, Daryl knew that Connie finding out about just how bad his dad was would lead to her wanting to do something about it. The only problem with that would be that Daryl would have to fight against her, put a great big divide between them.

The ultimate outcome of Connie finding out about his homelife would be an end to their relationship filled with arguments and tears over Daryl’s safety. Daryl would leave heartbroken and alone and Connie would be left with the weight of knowledge.

She caught him one time, watching her and thinking about the problems he faced. She’d asked what was wrong and so he had leant in and kissed her. They had been sitting on her bed together, just curled up together watching a movie with the subtitles on. Of course, he had been more focused on her than the movie.

When they broke apart she had grinned at him and signed that it was the first time he had ever initiated a kiss. That comment had turned him red but turned the attention away from the problem. She held his face in her hands and stroked up and down his cheeks, grinning at him. The girl looked so happy just because of a simple gesture.

By the end of the movie he had made up his mind.


	14. Meet The Family

Daryl was too stressed to feel embarrassed as Merle sat on the couch smirking at his little brother going round the house trying to tidy as much as he could. He’d gotten up early- unable to sleep- to try and make the house look as presentable as possible. It was something that was pretty much impossible but he’d wiped the stains off of the kitchen counter and picked up all of the beer bottles and cans.

The wallpaper was still peeling and stained yellow with cigarette smoke where it still clung to the wall, the carpet was full of burn marks and ragged. The couch was full of holes and covered in questionable stains, most of which Daryl had an unfortunate insight into. There was a hole in the hallway wall where Merle had put his fist through it in a fight with their dad a few years before and the kitchen window was smashed and held together with brown tape.

He had to do this now, his dad had been out of town for a week on some sort of bender probably with some bar skank. If he was going to do this, he was the last person he wanted around.

“Whattya doing little brother?” Merle asked with a smirk, taking a sip from his beer.

“Cleaning,” Daryl grunted, not looking up from where he’d been trying to scrub a stain off the kitchen table.

“But why?” the older pressed.

Daryl huffed, throwing down the cloth in defeat.

“I’m gonna bring someone round tonight,” Daryl admitted, not daring to look at his brother. He knew that the man would just press and press if he didn’t get an answer. There was also the chance that Connie would meet Merle if she agreed to come around. 

“Ya bringin’ someone over? Like a girl?” Merle asked, leaning forward with a grin on his face.

Daryl paused for a moment, wondering if the ribbing he was about to receive would be worth it.

“Yeh, her name’s Connie,” Daryl replied, glancing over at his brother.

“Connie, nice name. Ya planning to woo her heh?” Merle chortled.

The elder stood and stepped over to Daryl, slinging an arm around his shoulders and pulling him close. He stank of alcohol and body odour, enough that Daryl scrunched his nose up and tried to shrug him off. Not that that worked.

“Nah, don’t have to woo her, just want the place to look as not shit as possible,” Daryl replied, still struggling against his brother’s grip.

“Not gonna woo her heh? She a nasty girl just coming for a night. Didn’t think that your style lil brother,” Merle grinned.

“No, it ain’t like that. Connie’s a good girl just don’t have to woo her- like I could bringing her here anyway,” Daryl spat, back raised at the insinuation against his girlfriend.

“Then what’s it like brother?”

“We been together a few months, I met all her family thought it would be nice to bring her here,” Daryl barked out, finally pulling him free from his brother’s grip.

“A girlfriend? For my little brother? And ya already met the parents!” Merle exclaimed, face lit up in joy- the sort that didn’t bode well for Daryl.

“Well yeh, met ‘em before we became a thing. Look man, just I want to bring her over tonight just don’t be a dick man okay,” Daryl nearly begged, shifting awkwardly on the spot.

“Alright, she’s obviously special and I wouldn’t want to fuck this up for you,” Merle nodded although Daryl couldn’t be sure he was being genuine.

“Oh and if ya around just know she can’t hear so if ya talk to her make sure she’s looking at ya so as she reads ya lips,” Daryl threw over his shoulder as he made a quick dash for the door.

“Ya what?!” Merle yelled as Daryl escaped the house.

**********

It took an insane amount of will to pull Connie off to one side at lunch. He’d been working himself up all day and it didn’t help much that all his classes so far had been with her sat next to him as a constant reminder. So, when the lunch bell ran after English, he gestured for her to follow him.

He led them into the library and tucked them away in the corner between two bookshelves. She was looking at him curiously but he had to take a moment to compose himself. The teen took a second to press his forehead into her shoulder before he lent back and started to sign.

_Do you want to come over to mine tonight?_ He gestured quickly.

_To the hut?_ she replied.

_No, I thought that you could come and see the house, meet my brother_ , he responded, looking up at her face for her reaction.

She was beaming at him, smiling so wide like he had offered her something great. He only hoped that she would be smiling after seeing the shitheap he lived in and met his shithead brother. Of course, he’d talked to Connie about Merle, told her what he was like but there was only so much you could prepare someone for the man.

_Yeah, I would love that_ , she signed, grabbing the back of his head and pulling him in for a kiss. 

**********

The pair made their way down the school steps, walking ahead of Kelly who had winked and waved at them as they’d passed her. It had taken Daryl a second to figure out what she was implying but when he did he coloured red instantly- Connie just laughed at him.

She slotted their fingers together as soon as they left the school grounds, giving Daryl’s hand a squeeze and shooting him a smile. He took comfort in it, gripping the given hand as they made their way back towards the Dixon house.

Connie walked alongside him, comfortably knowing most of the journey as the house wasn’t far from the turning off to go to the hut. As soon as they passed their little entrance to the woods however, she started looking around curiously.

For his part, Daryl tried not to look at her, not wanting to see her reaction to the steady increase in the poverty. The houses were getting rougher and rougher and, when they turned down Daryl’s street, most of them were boarded up and abandoned.

He breathed a sigh of relief when they finally arrived and found that his dad’s truck was still absent from the drive.

_Here it is, home sweet home,_ Daryl signed, cringing when he looked to the door that was nearly hanging off its hinges. 

Connie turned and gripped his face then, gesturing for his attention.

 _It doesn’t matter to me where you live, not one little bit so put that out of you head_ , she gestured.

The words were like a balm, calming him right down. She smiled at him and reached out to stroke a thumb over his cheek before motioning at the door.

Daryl nodded and opened the door, letting his girlfriend step through first before following and shutting it behind him.

“Is that my brother there with his lovely female friend?” Merle called in a teasing tone from the other room.

“Yeah Merle so play nice!” Daryl shouted back.

Connie cast a questioning glance at Daryl, having caught his reply _. Merle_ , he signed to her.

Daryl gestured her through to the living room where his brother was sprawled on the sofa in a stained wifebeater, beer in hand. The man looked up as the pair entered, standing and looking Connie up and down before letting out a low whistle.

“Well definitely a good looker there brother,” Merle commented.

Connie glanced at Daryl with a raised eyebrow and half a smirk, obviously having read Merle’s lips. Daryl just shrugged.

“She can read your lips dumbass,” Daryl hissed, punching Merle’s shoulder.

“I know, you said this morning,” Merle smirked.

“Dick,” Daryl huffed.

Connie was smirking besides them, obviously having been watching their mouths.

“I must say, I didn’t think Daryl here would pull something so nice,” Merle said, looking straight at Connie.

_Don’t worry, it’s a big scam_ , she signed with a grin, motioning for Daryl to translate.

Daryl repeated the words to his brother with an eye roll, painfully aware of the blush colouring his face.

“Wait you learnt sign language?” Merle asked shocked.

“Um yeah, so we could talk, we were doing a school thing together,” Daryl muttered, face burning.

“Oh boy, ya got it bad doncha,” Merle snorted.

“I- Merle!” Daryl exclaimed.

“Nah, good for ya brother, now I’m gonna go to the bar, leave you love bird to it,” Merle winked, patting Daryl on the back before pushing past.

Daryl listened to the door close before turning to Connie, biting on his bottom lip.

_Charmer_ , she signed, snorted.

Daryl grinned, pulling her forward into a hug and burying his face in the side of her neck, needing the contact for a moment. His nerves were fried and he felt jittery, unsure after introducing his two most important people.

 _Show me your room? I want to see what it’s like,_ Connie signed once Daryl had pulled back.

_Sure._

Daryl led her up the stairs, glad that she couldn’t hear the creaks and groans the old wood made. She was studying the place as they went and he hated what she saw. The walls were empty of family photos and there was none of the trinkets and house plants the lay around her place.

When they reached his room, he gestured her in first before following and shutting the door.

There was nothing to be proud of in the room. In the corner there was his bed which was only a mattress on the floor, there was the rickety chest of draws with his crossbow on top and desk and chair crammed into the corner. There was books piled high between the desk and the draws because he couldn’t fit a bookshelf in with everything else.

Connie took a moment to look around before turning back to Daryl who was still leant against the door.

_You know what Kelly and Merle think we’ll be doing right?_ She signed.

There it was; the blush back full force. Daryl ducked his head down, hair falling to hide his face.

_Yeah well they’re all… I don’t know_ Daryl signed once he’d recovered a bit.

_Well do you want to?_ Connie signed, looking painfully shy.

_What have sex?_ Daryl gestured quickly, not believing what he had seen, sure that he had misread her hands.

_Yeah, if you want,_ she replied.

_Well I’ve never.. I haven’t done that before_ , Daryl stumbled over his words.

 _Me neither. But do you want to? Cause we don’t have to do that_? Connie signed, her hands moving quickly, giving away her nerves.

_No, let’s do it_ , Daryl replied after a moment of thought.


	15. Love You

It’s not like he hadn’t thought about this, he was a teen boy after all and Connie was beautiful. But imagining as he got himself off was a whole different thing to having the girl in front of him, offering to take his virginity.

Connie had said that she hadn’t done this either, something that surprised him somewhat. She was so kind and beautiful that he couldn’t believe no one had snapped her up before. That being said, she was better than those girls that just went around sleeping with the first person to look their way. Which was yet another reason that none of this between them made any sense.

His brain promptly stopped however when she stepped forward and rested her hands against his chest and her lips met his. She leaned right into him, pressing him against the door. The feel of her warmth fully, solidly against him was doing wonders for making the blood rush south, something that progressed rapidly when her tongue started exploring his mouth.

He tried to tilt his hips back away from her to hide it but she noticed and just pressed further in. The pressure against his dick tore a groan from him. She must have felt the vibrations from the noise because she smiled against his mouth and ground her hips against his.

“Jesus,” he breathed as they pulled apart.

She smiled at him, grabbing his shirt and pulling him backwards towards the bed.

He was lost in the moment when he managed to trip over his own feet, tumbling them both down onto the mattress. Quick thinking helped him land his weight on his forearms instead of on the girl beneath him, a small grace to save him from utter combustion due to humiliation.

Just when he thought everything was over and he was sporting the most glaring blush to ever be seen, he felt her shaking beneath him.

Looking down, he watched her laughing enough that there were tears in her eyes. Relief was the first thing he felt but soon enough he was laughing with her.

_Well that was a faster way to get here_ , she signed once they had composed themselves a bit more.

Daryl snorted in agreement before he got lost in watching her. She started wriggling from under him, prompting him to sit up, falling back onto his bum and hands to watch as she started to strip.

The top came off first leaving her in just her bra and it was… wow. Daryl swore his brain stopped as he took in all that smooth, gorgeous skin presented to him. She was watching him back, there was something shy in her expression even as she pulled off her shoes, socks and pants, throwing them all to one side and leaving her in nothing but underwear.

_You’re so beautiful_ , Daryl signed as she knelt in front of him, watching with lips trapped between her teeth.

The comment had her blushing, a smile teasing her lips before she honest-to-God crawled over to him and caught his mouth in a kiss. Her hand started to creep up under his shirt as his went to settle on Connie’s bare hip. The teen was too caught up in the sensation to realise what was happening until he felt the other’s fingers brush over the scars that scattered his back.

Connie must have felt him tense up because she pulled back and scanned over his face. Her hand slipped back down to her hip where she squeezed before pulling away and signing, _you don’t have to say anything but it is definitely your turn to get more naked._

Daryl let out the breath that he hadn’t realised he’d been holding in. He knew for sure now that he loved her and would do anything for her. No one had ever shown so much consideration, no one had known him well enough or paid enough attention or care to know how to make him feel comfortable. She was clearly curious but she wasn’t pressing because she was amazing.

But she wanted him naked and he wanted him naked so he could touch her more.

With all the grace of a baby elephant, he scrambled out of his cloths, forcing himself not to hesitate as he stripped his shirt. Just like she did, he threw the clothes over into a pile on the floor, leaving him in just his worn boxers.

_Not bad, not bad at all_ , Connie grinned. She was sat there still on her knees, head cocked to one side just looking over him.

The look made him squirm uncomfortably, never having revealed himself like this to another person. He wasn’t like some of the other boys in their year who went to the gym and had nice tidy six packs that they liked to show off in gym class.

He wasn’t fat by any means- in fact, the lack of food always made sure that was a good dream. Constant activity with his hunting and part time work at Dale’s garage meant that he had strong arms but there wasn’t much definition on his stomach. Then there were the scars, the stripes on his back and on his front there were the little round ones from the cigarette burns courtesy of both his dad and himself.

Connie didn’t flinch though, instead she leaned in and climbed into his lap, kissing him thoroughly. Hands wondered on both parts, her delicate fingers dragging over his scared sides and his calloused hands on her perfect back.

Soon enough, things were heated further and the last vestiges of material were discarded and Daryl lay on top of Connie between her legs. It was naturally then that he realised that he didn’t have anything, had never even dreamed of buying a condom or that they would be in this position.

He pulled back from where they’d been kissing, looking down at her and wondering how to state his problem without dying of embarrassment.

_What?_ She signed, concerned.

_I don’t have anything_ , he signed after a moment, not quite able to look her in the eye.

She looked at him for a moment, obviously trying to work out what he was going on about though he wasn’t able to elaborate. Then her mouth opened in a little ‘o’ and she started to move out from under him.

Daryl moved quickly out of the way, sitting back and tucking his knees up to his chest to hide his erection, unsure of where they were going to go from this point.

He watched her go over to where her clothes lay and prepared himself for an evening of trying to gather himself back together. However, instead of starting to redress, she started to search through the pockets of her pants. Daryl watched with a furrowed brow, unsure of what the hell she was doing.

When she finally turned around and presented him with a little package, it made a lot more sense. She offered him and shy smile and a peck on this lips before lying back on the mattress, that sight alone was enough to take all the moisture from his mouth.

With shaking fingers, he rolled the condom on and climbed back on top of her, fumbling until she kissed him.

The whole thing really was fumbling and clumsy but it worked. She came before he did and it was amazing. The look on her face, the feel of her around him, the smell of her skin and the taste of her sweat, all of it was just perfect.

He discarded the condom to one side after they'd finished and fell back onto the mattress beside Connie. He was out of breath, panting and sweaty, the whole room stinking of sex but none of that mattered as he lay looking at her. She lay on her side too, facing him, watching his face and smiling at him.

She leaned in to kiss him and he couldn’t help but pull her close. He wrapped his arms around her pulled her right into his chest, cuddling her right up to him because it was the only thing that felt right. Connie didn’t seem to mind though as she rested her head against his chest, fingers stroking up and down his chest.

“I love you,” he whispered into her hair, comfortable in the fact that she couldn’t hear him.


	16. Gentlemen and Scars

She didn’t really know when they had fallen asleep. The last thing that Connie remembered was Daryl pulling her close to him, both of the still naked and sweaty. It hadn’t surprised her that he was a cuddler. In the months that they had been dating, he had slowly gained confidence in touching her and as he had it had become very clear that he was touch starved.

The other teen would always be touching her in some way as long as there wasn’t anyone around. She didn’t know the root of his hesitation towards any sort of PDA but she was a little too scared to push when the two of them had come so far anyway. Daryl’s reaction to in private told her that all of his reservations were probably something to do with himself.

Whenever they were alone in her bedroom, he would always curl up around her, whenever they were walking home together he would hold her hand. At first, it had always been her that initiated any sort of physical contact- although her boyfriend always leaned into it- but in the last month, he had been taking the first step more and more.

Now though, waking up next to him, curled into him in his bed after losing her virginity to him- after him losing his to her- that was something entirely different and new. It was almost more intimate than the actual sex they had just participated in.

Daryl was still asleep, the boy’s arm was wrapped around her, his hand holding onto her hip even in his unconscious state. Connie couldn’t help but feel so loved and wanted in his arms, protected by the muscled limbs. They had never exchanged those words but Connie was seriously thinking that she felt like she loved this boy who obviously lived such a hard life and yet maintained such a good heart.

She watched his face, relaxed in sleep. He looked younger, more innocent and just so beautiful. Her heart ached sometimes thinking about him, he was so perfect and she couldn’t believe that she of all people was lucky enough to be with him. The worst part was he didn’t realise what a good person he was.

He had never spoken about his home life, not really. Connie knew that his mother had passed away in a fire and- in Daryl’s words- she had been emotionally dying for years. She also knew about Merle, Daryl had shared many stories about his brother and the ridiculous adventures he had dragged his little brother into on a drug and/or alcohol fuelled excursion. There was also his father.

Daryl never spoke much about the man he called Dad. She knew that his name was Will and she knew that Daryl was quite clearly scared of him. The teen had never admitted to that but it was clear in the way he spoke of him when he did in those rare moments.

She wasn’t stupid- or at least she liked to think she wasn’t anyway. Connie was pretty certain that Will Dixon was responsible for the vast majority- if not all- of the bruises that Daryl regularly showed up with. The bruises were something that had severally concerned her in the first few weeks of their relationship, the ones before they had been a thing.

Daryl had always presented himself as someone that was rough and ready, someone that would get into a fight, get socked in the face, spit out a bloody tooth and jump right back in. The more that she had got to know him however, the less and less this seemed to be the case. In fact, Connie could barely imagine the Daryl she knew in a fight. Confrontation just didn’t seem to be in the teen’s nature.

So, the more little titbits of information she got about Will Dixon, the more sure she was that he was the one that was inflicting damage on her boyfriend.

Now there were the scars on his back, the ones that she had discovered only a few hours ago when she had explored beneath his shirt. He had looked panicked at the prospect of her asking about them so she hadn’t but really she was burning with curiosity and concern.

Connie couldn’t fathom what had made scars like that. With him sleeping, she took the opportunity to smooth a gentle hand along his back. The scars were obviously of varying age, some were slightly raised, new and still perhaps healing, others were sucken with age. It was horrifying to know that the scars had been made over years- especially with Daryl only being seventeen. Still, running her fingers up and down the grooves, she couldn’t fathom what had made them.

She was still running hands up and down his back when she felt the change in the rise and fall of Daryl’s chest, signalling him waking up.

The boy stretched slightly while clenching his arms, the grip around her tightening as he gained consciousness. Before he was really awake, he stuck his face into her neck, nuzzling at the skin and hairy there. She could even feel his breath as he breathed in against her neck and she couldn’t help but think that he was the cutest thing alive- other than Dog.

She watched with a smile stretching her lips as he finally jolted awake. The boy pulled back- although his arm stayed around her waist- looking over at her. His hair was all messed up and his eyes were bleary and it was honestly the sweetest, cutest thing ever and she couldn’t help but lean in and peck him on the lips.

The boy smiled into it and the seemed to stretch, muscles tensing and his mouth opening in a yawn. His arms tensed around her, fingers curling tighter into her hip. Once he was done with that, it seemed that he wanted to hide. He pulled her closer- she didn’t think it was possible- and buried his face right into her hair.

She ran her fingers up his neck and through his hair, just carding them through and happily cuddling him while he composed himself. One of his arms was laying under her head like a pillow, the limb had been splayed straight but in that moment he curled it around her also, the fingers tangling themselves in the hair at the base of her neck.

After a long moment, Daryl pulled himself away again. The teen’s face was red and he wasn’t quite looking at her, still seeming to be unable to think of anything to say. His hands left her- much to her disappointment- in order to be able to sign.

_You alright?_ Was what they said. Of all the things, her sweet guy was making sure she was alright.

_Definitely,_ she replied, watching the relief wash over his face before glancing up at the window.

Seeing the colour of the sky did a very good job of jolting her back into reality. She needed to get back home before her parents started worrying although it might be wise to clean up first, the pair of them smelt exactly like what they’d been doing.

_I need to get home but is there any chance of a shower first?_ She asked.

_Of course, the water pressure is shit but you can use it_ , Daryl returned.

The pair of them slipped out of the bed and shucked on their tops and pants quickly before Daryl led her down the hall. She had been struck before how bare the place was, very little furniture, no pictures, hell even the walls were covered in peeling, ripped wallpaper. It was more a house than a home and it made he sad for Daryl, he deserved so much better and it made so much more sense as to why he had built a hut in the woods.

The teen showed her how to use the shower and respectfully left her to clean up in peace- not before she pulled him in for one last kiss.

Daryl wasn’t wrong, the water pressure was terrible but it felt good to get clean, her body feeling well and truly gross after falling asleep so sweaty and sticky. She finally finished up and dried off with the towel Daryl had left with her, wriggling back into her clothes.

The smell was gone but there was nothing that she could do about how damp her hair was still, she could only hope her parents didn’t notice.

Connie made her way out of the bathroom and back down the hall to Daryl’s room. She peaked her head around the door and saw him changing the sheets on the mattress on the floor that he had to call a bed. It was pathetic and another testament to how little Will Dixon seemed to care about his sons.

Daryl looked up when she opened the door, offering her a small smile and standing up straight, coming over to her. _You ready to be off now?_

 _Yes,_ she signed.

_Alright, I’ll bring you up to you street_ , he replied, reaching out and stroking a hand over her shoulder.

The touch and the promise was all so sweet and gentlemanly and just so much the polar opposite to what everyone thought of Daryl- those that didn’t know him anyhow. It just blew her away that he couldn’t see how perfect he was without even trying.

 _What a gentleman,_ she said with a smirk that had Daryl blushing and rolling his eyes.

They made their way back down the stairs to find that Merle still wasn’t back from the pub- which was probably a blessing to save ribbing. Daryl took her hand as soon as he closed the door behind him and the pair walked together all the way back to her street.

Half way back, the heavens opened, soaking them both through. The pair laughed over it and it certainly solved Connie’s problem in trying to explain wet hair to her parents.

When they finally reached her street, she pulled him in for a deep kiss, wanting to capture a last moment of the intimacy. It didn’t hurt that the rain had soaked Daryl’s shirt making it stick to his arms in all the right ways.

She was loathed to turn away but she had to, all she knew was that she would probably be wondering and worrying over the scars on her boyfriend’s back. It would probably be a night full of planning on how to approach Daryl about it all.


End file.
